


Innocence Lost

by Mintonic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alpha Lexa, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Clarke, Omegaverse, Rutting, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:53:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6272434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mintonic/pseuds/Mintonic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What a strange world we live in. Our genetics determine our future," Clarke sighed.<br/> Jasper turned to face her. "But it doesn't have to be this way. Don't let your genetics determine your future. Just because we're Omegas doesn't mean we have to act submissive and let everyone boss us around."</p><p>Clarke opened her mouth to protest, watching as Jasper's mouth curled into a soft smile.</p><p>"See, Clarke? You were about to argue, just like one of the Alpha Chancellors. Omegas aren't supposed to argue, but look at you. You're going to be a leader some day. I can feel it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my attempt at combining The 100 tv show with soul marks and Omegaverse dynamics with my own twists. Fair warning; this will be a bit canon divergent, as I will change a few things in the show. The first chapter is mainly the introduction to my version of how Alphas, Betas and Omegas function on the Ark. The warning may change into something mature eventually, so please be aware of rating changes. Later chapters will mainly focus on Clarke.

Flickering lights continuously shut on and off from the ceiling. A small, quiet groan exited the lips of a shivering body in the left corner of the small room. She whimpered in pain, gazing longingly at the black marks etched into her left wrist. The most comforting thing she could do was trace the mark, wondering who the name belonged to and how they would meet. The tattoo finally formed the night before. At birth, the marks were merely dots that slowly formed letters as the girl aged. 

The door in the center opened to reveal an adult woman. 

"Clarke?" The woman closed the door behind her and bent down to console the shivering body.  
"Mom? What's happening to me?" The shivering body, named Clarke, sat upright and brushed the wavy blonde curls from her own ocean blue eyes.

The woman, Abby Griffin, member of the chancellors and one of the best doctors on the Ark, sat next to her daughter. 

"Do you remember your classes with Mr. Pike? Honey, this is your first heat."

"My heat? So that means-"

"Yes. You're an omega."

Clarke tried to clear her head to remember the lessons she learned. 

She knew about the existence of Alphas, Betas and Omegas, but typically children did not know what they were until they exhibited signs: Strong powerful scents, mild scents and strong sweet scents. Children were trained to form a habit of taking suppressants on a daily basis once they hit the age where they could consume solid food. The pills were meant to suppress scents and various pheromones, up until they experienced puberty. And then the pills would have a dosage increase, but only the omegas were forced to continue taking the pills. Alphas were encouraged to build their overwhelming testosterone, as leadership was typically associated with a brutal display of power, and betas were a middle ground; they comforted the other two with their scent, they controlled themselves around others with ease, unlike Alphas, and they didn't have an overwhelming urge to prove their strength or submissiveness. 

But Omegas were a complicated sort. They needed the pills, and once they hit their first heat, the dosage needed to be increased to avoid the next. This was mainly a safety attempt. Alphas were drawn to Omega scent and had the urge to claim them or prove their strength. Omegas needed the pills to cloak their scent. Alphas were encouraged to let themselves go and were not disciplined unless they broke laws, such as harassing the offspring of an important figure, like Clarke, or committed other heinous crimes. 

Typically, anyone who committed heinous crimes would be 'floated', they would be sent to an air lock and floated into space. However, anyone below the age of eighteen would be imprisoned in the 'Skyblock', a massive jail system. Those who were imprisoned would be floated as soon as they turned eighteen or be pardoned if their crimes were subtle.  
Someone as young as Clarke, a small twelve year old, was especially vulnerable during this time. 

Clarke turned around to face the hazel brown eyes of her mother and perished her thoughts.

Abby lifted up her daughter's arm and traced the tattoo. 

"This finally formed? I wonder who this Lexa is," she mumbled quietly. She felt a small pang of quiet jealousy. "Your father has my name on his collarbone, but I never had his."

"But not everyone is Marked. And sometimes the unmarked are another person's soulmate, or they form later in life," Clarke tried to reassure her. 

Abby's lips turned into a small smile. She loved her daughter's relentless positivity.

"I swear, Clarke, you're an Omega but you think like an Alpha."

"What do you mean?"

"Omegas would usually agree or stay quiet, and Alphas would insist otherwise." Abby stood up from the cold floor. "Unfortunately, you're going to stay in this heat chamber with other Omegas who come into their first heat for a week. But it's better for you to stay in here than out in the halls with Alphas prowling around. Betas will guard this room until your heat ends. We'll give you stronger suppressants when this is over." 

"Alright. I'll just stay here, I guess," Clarke hated the idea of confinement, but at least she would be safe.

_______

A few hours later, the door opened once again. A beta guard wrapped his arms around a newcomer, and shut the door behind him as he exited.

"Um, hi," the new Omega shuddered quietly as sweat trickled down his neck. "My name's Jasper," his brown curly hair seemed to flop as he lifted the goggles from his face.

Clarke watched the boy and her lips turned into a sad smile. She shared his pain. She understood the painful shuddering and the uncomfortable heatwaves. 

"I'm Clarke. I just woke up in here a few hours ago." She pat the spot next to her.

"Clarke? Chancellor Griffin's daughter?" Jasper sat in the spot and beamed at his new friend.

Jasper was a literal small energetic bundle of excitement, just like her best friend Wells. At least Clarke could find familiar comfort in her new friend. 

________

A week finally passed. Within that painful period of time, Clarke and Jasper spoke of their soul marks. Jasper's mark was still a bundle of underdeveloped black dots. But under his left knee, the letter 'M' was fully formed to start a vertical name.

Neither of them knew how the soul marks formed or how they became imprinted on their bodies, even the teachers on the Ark didn't know. Clarke liked the way Jasper described it.

"It's like a journey. You don't know how it formed, but you know where your future mate is and instinctively find them." 

Mr. Pike explained the phenomenon in one of his many lessons. Those who were Marked would instinctively sense and follow their potential mate. He said it had something to do with the reason behind the individual strong scents of the three counterparts. Alphas sought out those who had sweet scents most pleasing to them, Betas sought out a combination of strength and sweetness, Omegas were typically drawn to an overwhelming strength from someone who would guard and protect them and future pups. Those who were Marked were considered special for already being able to claim their mate while the unmarked had to find their future mates by sensing individual scents and courtship.

Abby's mate, the Beta engineer named Jake Griffin was marked, but Abby was not. Clarke's studies would explain that sometimes one person can be another's soulmate, but not the other way around. 

"What a strange world we live in. Our genetics determine our future," Clarke sighed.  
Jasper turned to face her. "But it doesn't have to be this way. Don't let your genetics determine your future. Just because we're Omegas doesn't mean we have to act submissive and let everyone boss us around."

Clarke opened her mouth to protest, watching as Jasper's mouth curled into a soft smile.

"See, Clarke? You were about to argue, just like one of the Alpha Chancellors. Omegas aren't supposed to argue, but look at you. You're going to be a leader some day. I can feel it."

The door slid open. Abby entered and wheeled a cart inside. Jasper let out a loud sigh of relief and stood up. "Finally, it's over!" His goggles fell from his face. Clarke grabbed them before they hit the floor.

Abby watched her daughter and her new friend. 'At least she doesn't have to go through this on her own,' she thought to herself. She opened a container to reveal two large boxes that contained several ziplocked bags of pills. "One bag for each month. Two pills daily," she instructed. 

"You're so lucky to have a doctor and a Chancellor for a mother," Jasper whispered. 

_________  
Four years later

Clarke sat between Jasper and Wells. The three of them were paired up together in an art class.  
Clarke quietly sketched the Earth on a small sheet of paper, remembering the circular shape and the blues of the ocean and greens of the forests left to grow after the nuclear apocalypse. She spent countless time watching the planet from the windows of the Ark with her father.

Wells gripped his knight chess piece in an attempt to use it for a sketching model. He often played chess with his father Chancellor Jaha. Just like Abby and Clarke, they had a strong parent to child bond, probably from the Alphas' instinct to guard and protect their young.

Jasper sketched a strange looking plant. Another classmate by the name of Monty walked by the desk and smirked at the image. Jasper looked up and shared the smirk. They high-fived each other and Monty walked to his own seat. 

"You two and your friggin' ancient drug references," Wells shook his head in mock disapproval and laughed. His pencil left his fingers.

"Clarke Griffin, someone would like to see you," the instructor's shrill voice called. Clarke stood up from her seat and walked outside of the classroom. "Oooh," Wells, Jasper and Monty called in unison as if Clarke was about to be punished.

"Oh, shut it," Clarke playfully rolled her eyes and exited. 

"Dad!" She ran up to her father's arms. Despite her age, she and her father were still practically inseparable. "I have something to show you," Jake smiled at his daughter. 

Both Griffins walked down the hallway together. They entered an elevator, exited as they hit their destination and walked inside the engineering room. 

"Dad? I've been here several times. I can't see what's new or exciting," Clarke faced her father.  
Jake's soft smile curled into a strangely sad smile. "Clarke, there's something wrong with the Ark, and I need to tell someone. I need you to keep this a secret until I figure out a way to let everyone else know."  
"Dad? You're scaring me," Clarke sat down in one of the padded desk chairs.  
"You should be. The oxygen system isn't functioning correctly, and it looks like we don't have a large supply of air left to keep us alive," Jake closed his eyes as he tried to form answers for the questions his daughter might ask.

Clarke wasn't sure how to respond. She opened her mouth to speak, but noises didn't combine to form words. She quietly thanked herself for sitting down before she heard the revelation.  
Little did she know, this knowledge would play a significant part in her loss of innocence.


	2. Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke's life begins to drastically fall apart.

Quiet streams of sweat dribbled down Clarke's face as she walked through the hallway.

 

Bellamy Blake, one of the guard recruits, gripped a young girl's shoulders and tried to lead her away from a mass of other guards. Clarke couldn't clearly hear what they were mumbling, but she swore she heard "Octavia, we need to hurry," urgently from the boy's mouth.

 

Clarke gestured at a vacant corner in the hall with a sharp head movement. Bellamy nodded and dragged Octavia towards the small section. A broadly-chested guard skidded to a halt in front of the lean blonde.

 

"Ms. Griffin? Did you see Bellamy Blake and a suspicious girl walk through this wall?"

 

"No, but I did see someone walk into the back section," Clarke replied and pointed towards the back of the wall where she came from. The guards nodded their thanks and ran through the hall in formation.

 

Clarke paused, smelling the air, and she was hit by a sudden pungent smell. Bellamy removed his grip from Octavia. 

 

"Well," his voice caught the blonde omega's attention, "Yes, I'm an Alpha and I can see your confusion. I'm not a Beta like the rest of the guards. One of the high-ranking officials gave me this position because he was close with our mother."

 

Clarke's eyes switched to Octavia's face. "You share the same mother? But-"

 

The small and lean brunette spoke softly, "I've been kept as a secret since the day I was born. That's why the guards were hunting me down. I smell unfamiliar to them."

 

Clarke paused, trying to catch her scent. "You're not pungent or sweet. You're docile and not threatening. You're a Beta."

 

"And you're not fierce or balanced. So you're an Omega," Bellamy realized. The suppressants blocked the sweet smell, but only a medicated Omega would be near scent-less.

 

"You should leave before the guards come back. You don't want your mom to get floated," Clarke warned.

 

She turned away from the Blakes and continued her trek down the hall until she reached the elevator. Her brief smile curled into a worried grimace when she remembered the events that transpired before her encounter with the siblings.

 

'I need to warn someone. This isn't right. Everyone has the right to know,' she thought to herself. She nearly ran into Jasper when she collided with his shoulder while exiting the elevator.  
"Shit! I'm so sorry, I-"  
Jasper gripped his friend's shoulders. His normally playful eyes shifted into a gaze of worry. "Clarke? I can smell your fear. The suppressants can hide your identity, but they can't hide your fear." Jasper paused, scrunching up his face as he tried to think. "Wells is a Beta. Being near him will block the scent. I'm not sure what's going on, but you better go to him before an Alpha catches on."

 

Clarke's eyebrows raised. 'Wells! He has to know. He's my best friend! He can keep a secret,' the anxious idea ran through her head like wildfire. She hugged Jasper, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him, then ran to one of the recreation rooms.

 

Just as she suspected, Wells sat in a chair in front of a chess board and plotted strategies. Clarke took a seat in front him. Wells settled the pieces, as soon as he caught sight of her, then frowned at the worry clouding her eyes. Clarke wrapped her blond hair in a blue scrunchy as she tried to word what she desperately needed her best friend to know.

 

"Wells," she whispered softly and gripped her knight piece, "this is going to sound really horrible." Wells met her strange vocal tone, flickered his eyes on anyone near them to check if they were alone, and whispered back "Are you okay?"  
Clarke bit her bottom lip and mumbled "The oxygen levels are slipping. We have about a year or two left of clean air. My dad's trying to find a way to fix it. He's going to tell everyone if a solution isn't found."

 

Wells shuddered at the thought of everyone dying from oxygen deprivation. "I won't tell anyone," he began to vocalize low purring to soothe the frightened Omega. He sensed her fear and gripped her soft hands with his own. His scent poured through her pores, eventually taking away the fear scent and replacing it with contentment.

 

Clarke gazed at him. Throughout her whole life, Wells had always been her best friend. Jasper and Monty came around when they were twelve years of age, but Wells would always be her closest friend. Or so she thought. "I'm going to watch Earth from the windows and try to calm down. Thanks for letting me vent," she released her grip on his hands, stood up, pushed her chair under the table and exited the small recreation room.

_______  
Clarke gazed at her mark and back to the large planet in space. She wondered if Lexa would be as beautiful as the Earth.

 

A small shoulder brushed hers and took a seat next to the lean Omega.

 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Octavia followed her gaze and looked at her own mark, which was located on her left forearm.

 

"Lincoln," Clarke read.

 

Octavia nodded. "I still haven't met him."

"Don't worry, I still don't know who Lexa is," Clarke gave her a smile of understanding and showed the name on her left wrist.

 

Octavia turned herself back to Earth. The guards were having a meeting. They wouldn't patrol the halls for at least an hour. She would be safe for the time being.  
________

"Clarke Griffin, Chancellors Jaha and Griffin would like to see you," a voice on the intercom rang. Clarke shook herself out of her tired shape and crawled out of bed. She strapped on her black converse shoes and exited from her room to the hallway, and outside of her home.

 

"Dad?" Clarke's fear pumped out as her nervous system mentally caused an alarm.

 

Jake's arms were forcefully pulled behind his back by two guards. Abby mumbled something quietly into his fear and hugged him. She pulled away just as Clarke ran into his form and sobbed. "What's happening? Why are they restraining you like a criminal?"

 

Chancellor Jaha stood by Abby. "Clarke, I'm sorry. Your father is being floated for treason." The guards escorted Jake into the air lock.

 

"No! Dad! Why?" Clarke began to shout. Her voice rose higher and higher. Abby gripped her shoulders to console her. The guards loosened their group on Jake's arms. Jake slipped his watch and tossed it to his daughter. Clarke grabbed the piece. Jake smiled softly, refusing to show fear. He wanted to be strong for his daughter. The air lock closed in front and opened in the back to reveal dark space. Clarke and Abby watched in horror. Clarke began to yell. In small seconds, Jake's body was sucked into space and the back door closed.

 

Clarke's knees fell to the ground, then her tear-covered eyes hardened. Jake would only be floated for one reason. She turned around, and suddenly Abby pulled away. Two guards grabbed the young Omega's arms before she could react.  
Only one person knew the secret Jake shared with her. The fear suddenly bubbled into confusion and anger. A low growl rumbled in her throat. The guards shared a confused expression. Instead of submitting and letting her body be led away, Clarke threatened them with animalistic instincts.

 

"Wells," she hissed.

 

"By order of Chancellor Jaha, you are under arrest for treason," the guard on her right side stated, "You will be either released or floated when you are eighteen. You will receive pills on a regular basis, as required. And-"

 

Clarke stared daggers into Jaha's eyes. She attempted to break out of the guards' grip, just to be pinned to the wall by several more guards.

 

The mark on her left wrist began to burn harshly, but Clarke's anger ignored the sudden redness and pain.

 

This was not the time for the back of Clarke's classroom memories to make her realize that somewhere in an unknown distance, 'Lexa' also began to experience a similar loss of someone closest to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I wanted Clarke and Octavia to have an early friendship. They will bond from having soul mates who are in the same location.  
> I also want to add Finn soon, but I don't want ClarkexFinn to happen in this version. Time to form creative bubbles :')  
> Please feel free to comment.


	3. Homeland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey to Earth is a terrifying yet quick experience.

Annoyance and low grunting woke Clarke from quiet slumber. She rolled out of her cold bed in her new prison cell and gripped the bars. She knew that voice, and once her suspicions had been confirmed, her eyes widened.

An almost violent toss left Octavia in the neighboring cell.

"Welcome to the Skyblock," Clarke called. Octavia audibly sighed in pent up frustration. 

________

Six months passed by. Charcoal sketches covered the walls and floor of Clarke's cell. To the left, a large structure of some sort of building was etched into the dusty wall. It represented a mysterious tower that occasionally made its way into quiet yet memorable dreams.

Animals representing horses from Mr. Pike's textbook lessons covered the bottom portion. To the right, rivers and water creatures decorated the slightly less dusty wall.

Laughter and a small wash of fear alerted Clarke's senses. She peered between the metal walls. On the bottom floor of the Skyblock, Monty and Jasper were escorted into their separate cells. 

'Definitely something drug-related,' Clarke smiled at the thought. Those two would always be herb-loving goofballs. And she loved them for it.

Bellamy wasn't present when the guards patrolled the block. Octavia explained that he was probably demoted after her cover was blown and she was discovered to be a second sibling. She couldn't sense him anywhere in the block and one of the Betas said he wasn't floated. But their mother was floated. She and Clarke understood each other's anger and sadness from the unexpected deaths.

Wells could not be trusted, Jasper and Monty were far away, but at least Clarke knew she found a friend in Octavia. 

________

Nearly six more months passed by. Clarke would be eighteen in one week. Octavia would be eighteen in six more months, Monty would age in two months, Monty in three.

The entire prison cell was coated with drawings now. Clarke took the last suppressants for the week and continued sketching on the floor. Outlines revealed tall grass, a makeshift gate and carefully written trees. 

Octavia snored softly to the left of Clarke's cell. The blonde Omega strongly welcomed the noise. The Skyblock was often quiet, too quiet. Octavia purred in her sleep. 

The alarms began to shriek as loudly as possible. The gate in the metal bars unlocked automatically and a Beta guard forcefully gripped Clarke's shoulders.

"No! I'm not eighteen for another week! Please stop," Clarke shouted. Her eyebrows furrowed close to her nose bridge and her heart pounded in fear.

Abby dashed towards her, snarled at the guard, baring her teeth at the guard and batted him away. Her Alpha tendencies took over, then softened as she held Clarke in a tight embrace.  
"It's going to be okay!" Clarke peered over her mother's shoulders at the center of the block. The other delinquents were escorted out of their cells.

Abby caught her attention. "Listen to me! You're going to Earth. We're going back home." Clarke avoided her gaze. 'It's because we're expendable. They wouldn't care if a hundred criminals died for the sake of exploration,' she thought to herself. But it's not like being floated would be a worse fate.

______

Octavia was seated in the back of the dropship. Wells suddenly appeared next to Clarke. 

Clarke didn't need to look at his face. The corner of her eye recognized the red leather jacket and she mumbled in disgust. "What are you doing here?" 

Wells tried to each her eyes with his brown embers and sighed, "I got myself arrested as soon as I heard the news. I'm here to protect you." "I don't need your protection."

Clarke's eyes shifted to the large screen. Jasper and Monty sat together in the middle of the ship. Each delinquent was equipped with a metal arm brace. They were meant to measure the vitals to the Chancellors and medical staff on the Ark.

The screen flickered on and Jaha's face appeared. "You have been selected to investigate Earth. Your supplies will be packed in storage lockers. If this mission is a success, you will all be pardoned from your crimes and you will be welcome to rejoin the Ark." The screen flickered off.

The ship made a few loud mechanical noises. A violent jump caused a few of the teenagers to scream in terror. As the landing softened, some delinquents unbuckled their seat belts and floated around the ship. 

"Get back in your seats," Clarke shouted. 

A boy with long brown hair and a beanie floated on his side.  
"We're not under your command, Princess," he smiled playfully, but this only agitated Clarke further. She hated the pet name. "My name is Clarke," she corrected.

"I'm Finn," his smile softened.

The ship violently picked up speed. Clarke closed her eyes, gripping her seat and tried to block out the increase of the shouts and cries.

In one sudden motion, the ship stopped making noises and impacted the planet. Slowly, the hundred unbuckled their seat belts. Two limp bodies covered small spaces. Clarke exited her seat, pressed her finger to their necks and didn't find beating pulses.

"You led them to their deaths," she growled at Finn and walked away. She didn't catch Finn's regretful frown as she followed the others down the ladder leading to the bottom of the dropship. 

Octavia brushed by her, gasping as soon as she saw a familiar face close to the door. She jumped in Bellamy's arms. Someone tried to interrupt them, but Octavia silenced them with an angry "Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year," and proceeded to hug her brother.

Bellamy gripped the handle on the door.

"Wait!" Clarke called, "What if there's radiation? It could kill us!"  
Bellamy smiled at his sister's friend. "We're probably going to die anyway." His attention turned back to Octavia. "You go first. Go on. Make history," he opened the door. 

Octavia's tearful smile turned into something of childlike wonder. Her boots softly clanked on the ship's opening, gazing at her surroundings. She pumped her fist into the air. Real air. Not artificial oxygen storage. "We're back, bitches!" she shouted.

The other hundred shouted out cries of excitement and ran out of the ship. Clarke's mouth gaped and her light blue eyes shone brighter. It was better than the textbook images. The sky was a similar shade of her eyes, the trees were green, the ground was covered in various grasses and brown dirt. She was no longer a prisoner stuck in a boring white hunk of metal in space.

Octavia distracted her from thoughts and they embraced each other. They both winced and pulled back from the tight hug. Clarke lifted up the sleeve of her black jacket and stared at her mark. The skin began to heat up, but not in a menacingly seering way. It warmed up in a comforting way. She turned to Octavia, watching her friend's facial expressions mirror her own.

"We're closer," Octavia whispered. "But how? Everyone died after, well, you know."

Clarke bit her bottom lip, matching her confusion. "Something's not adding up, O."

She shifted to Monty and Jasper. Jasper rolled up his left leg pant sleeve. 'Monty' warmed up. Monty grinned and lifted up his shirt to reveal 'Jasper' on his lower stomach.

"I knew this would happen," Wells mumbled in awe.

Clarke, Octavia and Wells watched as the two close friends embraced each other. Monty, the clever Beta, and Jasper, the friendliest and most playful Omega, were finally together. 

And after ninety seven years in space, the Arkers' newest generation walked the grounds of their homeland.  
Heat left Clarke's wrist and disappeared as it regained body temperature.

Not in a far distance, a nervous yet fierce Alpha of a powerful position battled confusion and instincts as she tried to recover her composure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! You're probably wondering why Jasper has a bigger role in this fiction. I don't think Jasper and Monty received enough screen time in the first season, and since they're my favorite recurring characters, I felt they should have bigger roles.  
> This is divergent compared to the series, so please be aware of a few plot differences.


	4. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and crew investigate the new territory. Meanwhile at the dropship, tensions rise as Bellamy desperately attempts to assert his power hungry nature.

Shaking and mumbling, Clarke tossed and turned during her sleep. Her eyes flitted open and she clenched her arms around the knees of her black pants. Her eyes darted around to remember her settings. She fell asleep in the top floor of the dropship.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," a small hand touched her shoulder.

Clarke found comfort in Octavia's Beta scent. But her relief came to an erupt end when screaming from multiple voices shrieked. Both girls climbed the ladder downwards and ran outside of the metal hunk to find the sources of the noise. They looked up at the star-coated dark sky. It was the 100's first night on the ground.

Clarke caught sight of Jasper's goggles as he dumped a large bucket over himself and the other delinquents chanted in encouragement. 

"We found a lake and made moonshine," Monty told Clarke. "It can provide alcohol just in case anyone has wounds, and it can be used for entertainment."

Octavia sighed, "I'm not going to ask how you did this, but be careful with the alcohol."

"Princess, look!" Finn sprinted towards the group, shortly followed by Bellamy and an unfamiliar boy. 

Clarke examined him, trying to pinpoint him. He smelled of calmness and traces of disappearing chemicals. Omega. She took in his features. He appeared a bit bird-like. His eyes were wide set and he had hollow cheekbones. He wore a black jacket with a red spike on the left shoulder, a simple black shirt and blue jeans. 

Bellamy spoke up, "This is John Murphy. He helped me gain access to this shock stick," he twirled an electrically-infused baton and his hands and holstered it to his hip, "And he helped me get this guard suit so I could sneak in the dropship."

Murphy nodded curtly and ruffled his own brown hair. Finn reached into his pocket to reveal a map. Clarke reached for it and unfolded the parchment. She took a few steps forward, lifted her left eyebrow in concentration, then turned back to her new friends. "Mount Weather is northern. We were dropped off in the wrong area."

Wells overheard her and ran towards the group. He peered over to glance at the map, then expectantly back at Clarke. The young blonde Omega's eyes deepened at a sudden idea and opened her mouth to speak, "We should form an expedition. I'll lead. Bellamy, Wells and Murphy can stay back and make sure no one's screwing around, and I'll take a few willing accomplices."

Bellamy's lips curled into a snarl. "I'm an Alpha, you're just an Omega. Only Alphas can lead." Clarke rolled her eyes. She expected resistance from Alphas. 

Octavia stood in front of Clarke. "You can snarl and refer to our old hierarchy all you want, but Clarke formed a plan and I really doubt you can think of something better. All in favor for Clarke to lead and Bell to keep order at the ship?"

Finn, Monty, Wells and Octavia herself raised their hands. Naturally since Murphy didn't know Clarke that well, he kept his hand down and stood by Bellamy, who mumbled "At least one Omega knows to submit."

Octavia turned to face Clarke and beamed at the success of the vote. "I'll come with you,"

Finn gripped the arms of a surprised Jasper and dragged him towards Clarke. The broad-shouldered Alpha smiled at Clarke, "Alright, we have some willing friends. Let's investigate the ship's gear and get moving first thing at daylight."

Clarke smiled softly. Maybe she misjudged his earlier carelessness. Instead of challenging her sudden authority like Bellamy, he supported her.

 

______

Octavia tossed backpacks found from a large locker within the ship. The small team grabbed one backpack each and tossed the straps over their shoulders. Octavia climbed out of the ship and her eyes wavered. She nodded her head towards Bellamy, Murphy, Wells, Finn, Jasper, Monty and Clarke to huddle to her. 

"Um, guys? The locker was partially destroyed. Most of the suppressants were destroyed on impact with the crash landing."

"Shit!" Clarke and Jasper shouted together. Murphy's brows furrowed. Without the suppressants, heat couldn't be prevented. 

Octavia matched their worried gazes. "We have approximately three days' worth of pills for each Omega. After the third day, they're on their own."

Clarke closed her eyes thoughtfully, then opened them. "We'll worry about that after we trek to Mount Weather and make sure the area's safe." Truthfully, she was terrified of future implications, but she needed to focus on making sure the land was habitable before worrying about the future heats she would be forced to endure. 

Her eyes flickered to Bellamy's then to the sky. Some changes will be made. She will never submit to another person's authority just because nature dictated it. She silently thanked Jasper for his wise words back when they first met. 

 

_______

Clarke kept an eye on the map and gazed back at her surroundings. Finn, Jasper, Monty and Octavia followed her lead. They navigated through green terrain and sky-reaching trees. The sun blared majestically in the clear skies. 

Finn's voice echoed her thoughts, "Better than the textbooks."

The gentle Alpha picked a flower and handed it to Octavia. "I'm an expert at romance," he smiled playfully. "We're experts on plants," Monty pointed out, smiling playfully at Jasper.

Octavia shook her head and gestured to the name on her forearm and mouthed 'sorry, taken'. Finn retained his playful composure. He didn't intend to court her. He caught up to Clarke's pace. "What about you, Princess? Do you have a mark too?" Clarke lifted up her left sleeve. Finn smiled softly and nodded. He was not one of the Marked, but the ones who were fascinated him. 

"Guys!" Octavia winced. Her mark began to burn, but it was in the strangely comforting sensation. 

Finn shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, I know they're supposed to heat up when you're in the same proximity, but I really doubt anyone from the ship would be called 'Lincoln' or exist on a post-apocalyptic landscape."

Monty snickered quality, "Yeah, well I never knew someone would willingly name their kid Finn."

Octavia frowned in uncertainty. "You're probably right. Maybe there's something wrong."

Clarke shared her confused thoughts. They both sensed something the day before. That 'something' would need to be solved.

"Hey, Clarke? What was that nightmare about?" Octavia asked. Clarke didn't want to remember. She tried to push those memories of her father's last smile before his body floated through space.

"Nothing," she mumbled, "Just a bad dream," and continued to trek through the woods.

_____

The group stumbled upon a pure blue creek. A hill leading upwards led across the gorgeous bundle of water. Octavia brushed ahead of Clarke and gripped the small sleeves of her shirt.

'No way, she's not going to-,' Clarke began to think, but her jaw hit the ground along with the rest of the group when Octavia stripped down to her sports bra and boy shorts. Without a second thought, the slim brunette leaped and landed in the creek. The group began to take off their clothes to follow, but a strange shape skittered across the creek. 

"Octavia!" Clarke shrieked. The girl in the creek turned around and gasped. Her mark began to heat up once more, overwhelming her fear.

The creature wrapped around her leg, but a sphere hit it. The group gazed around the woods, hoping to pinpoint the source. A muscular figure slowly came into view. An inked stripe jutted across the middle of his head. Octavia crawled out of the creek and stood up to face her savior. The man stepped closer. He was covered head to mouth in makeshift armor. He took off the upper portion to reveal a broad and heavily muscled chest. A large italic 'T' marked his pecs and upper abs.

Octavia stepped closer to him, not even realizing she was mainly unclothed. "I am-" "Octeivia kom Skaikru," he ended the sentence for her. He sharply pronounced the syllables and revealed a vertical tattoo marked across his elbow. 

The group gasped together. Octavia's mark warmed up intensely. This Alpha, this physically powerful man yet gentle speaker, appeared out of nowhere. "Ai laik Linkon kom Trikru. I am Lincoln of the Tree People."

"Bellamy's gonna be pissed," Jasper whispered. Finn softly mumbled, "Looks like we're not alone."

"One of our generals would like to meet you in two days's time," The tall man reached into his pocket and gripped a leather-clad journal. He tore a page out and marked a location in charcoal. "Meet her on this bridge. Weapons will not be tolerated. Come unarmed."

He stepped closer to Clarke and left the page in her hands. "Our commander is curious about your intentions. She believes you to be a leader of Skaikru- leader of the Sky People. Our general will determine if you are worthy of gaining an audience with our heda."

"Heda? What-"

"It means commander in Trigedasleng, the primary language of our people. You speak in Gonasleng. Only warriors and high ranking officials are permitted to learn it," Lincoln stated. 

He took a few steps towards the area he came from, called "May we meet again," and softly smiled at Octavia. They gazed at each other and made their separate ways.

Octavia's mark stopped heating and cooled down. Clarke pointed to the clothes left on the ground. Octavia's face tinted into a fleshy pink color as she ran to gather her clothes. Finn sighed into the air. "We're not alone. That guy, that Grounder, isn't supposed to exist. His 'heda' seems to think you're a leader, they probably don't know you're an Omega, Omegas aren't supposed to lead, and Octavia is Marked with his name. I second Jasper's words. Bellamy's gonna be pissed."

A shout distracted them from the fear in the air. They focused their attention on Jasper, who proudly lifted up a sign from the edge of the creek that was etched with the words 'Mount Weather'. The group cheered together and high-fived each other. Despite the conflicts that were most likely close to worsening, at least the camp of former teenage and young adult prisoners were finally making progress to find their pre-planned destination.

_____

Gun shots echoed from the dropship camp. Bellamy was attempting to hunt with the spare guns his sister found in the supply locker earlier. The sun began to sink and the camp still didn't manage to hunt down prey. Food rations were destroyed along with most of the Omega suppressants. 

"The chancellors really should have prepared us for this," Murphy called. He managed to shoot a few rabbits with a pellet gun. 

Bellamy took the small furry corpses and replied, "We were supposed to have food that would last for several months. The rations and suppressants were destroyed. If we don't train ourselves to hunt, we'll die out, and the Omegas will go into heat. None of us know how to deal with it."

Murphy tapped two fingers to his own chin, trying to think. "We could assign Beta guards just like the Ark. Divide Omegas into groups of twenty, one Beta per group, and Alphas will lead just like the Ark. But I have a feeling 'princess' won't allow that without a fight."

Bellamy's nostrils flared at the thought. "She will be forced to submit. She might be more resilient and brave than an average Omega, but there's no way in hell I'm going to be led by a weakling. Only Alphas can lead, and that's the way it's gonna stay."

Wells gritted his teeth, growling and shoved Bellamy's chest. Bellamy growled back and bared his teeth. "What's wrong, Beta? You don't want your precious Omega friend to submit to me by force, do you? You better convince her to back down or I'll have to take measures."

"Don't you dare speak about Clarke that way! Just because she's an Omega doesn't mean she's weak," both Beta and Alpha locked eyes and invaded each other's personal space. Wells continued, "If you knew her as long as I do, you would know she's more than an Omega." "No. She's just an Omega. Just like you're just a Beta, and I'm just an Alpha. That's the way tradition and nature dictate."

They averted their gazes as the person in question arrived. Clarke ordered a few of the others to gather wires and tie them together to form fences around the camp. Bellamy's growling increased, but stopped when he spotted Octavia rushing behind the resistant blonde. His sister was safe, and that thought comforted him.

But a low rumble began to increase as he made his way towards her. An unfamiliar scent creeped into his nostrils. Male. Alpha. 

Back on the Ark, everyone had a similar scent. These new scents and lack of familiar surroundings brought the inner instincts out. Alphas were getting increasingly frustrated on the ground as soon as the ship landed. Omegas banded together in fear, Betas tried to calm down each side as much as possible. Usually everyone was well-composed and calm, but everyone felt threatened in some way or another. 

Octavia rolled her eyes. She really didn't want to talk to her brother about this. She lifted up her inked arm. "I met him."

That didn't bring comfort to Bellamy. He shook his head in confusion, but it had to be true. The weird scent of tree and human combined, the strong Alpha male smell. It made sense for another being to exist on the ground.

"Grounders are not extinct like we were taught," Octavia tried to explain, "I met him. Lincoln. He speaks our language and another. He saved me from a water creature. It would have strangled my leg if he didn't impale it with a sphere. He wants Clarke to meet his general."

Bellamy processed his thoughts. His wariness slowly vanished as he realized the Grounder may have saved his sister's life. But his growling began to rupture once more. "Why do they want to meet Clarke? She's just an Omega. Lincoln should have picked up on that. Omegas can't lead. I should be the one meeting this general."

Octavia shrugged her lithe shoulders. "It happened really fast. He said the commander, I'm guessing she's the leader, believes Clarke leads us. Their scouts probably watched her lead us into the woods."

Bellamy's teeth tightened. Octavia rolled her eyes and lifted up his chin. Her Beta scent caused sudden relief and decreased the tension. 'His stupid pride,' she thought to herself.

A few meters away, Clarke applauded some of the delinquents for managing to catch animals for food. A smoke pit was lit up in the center of camp. A few of the hundred teenagers and young adults constructed a makeshift fence around the dropship a, a few Betas formed together to form a guard force and equipped themselves with guns and holsters, and a few Alphas flirted with Omegas. Jasper, Monty and Finn sat together in front of the smoke pit. 

Jasper smiled smugly at Clarke. "Remember when we first met and I said you would be a leader some day? As of today, it looks like I was right."

Clarke squeezed his hand tightly and let go. "I honestly don't know how I would function if you weren't so irritably positive."

Finn laughed and grinned at his new friends. "Hey, Princess! You have to try this. I think it's a pig, or hog. Something with legs, I don't know."

He gave her a strip of ham, and a small figure caught his attention. He mumbled, "I'll see you guys later," and ran to the figure. He met Wells in the back of the camp, away from the large crowds.

"Why are you being distant? You should join us." 

Wells shook his head and shrugged off his red leather jacket. He held the fabric over his left shoulder. "She hates me." "For what?" "Nothing." "You need to make up with her before it's too late." "There isn't anything to be made up."

Finn had a feeling the strong Omega and quiet Beta had some sort of conflicting history. But he didn't want to intrude. He pat his friend's back, trying to comfort him, and walked into the ship to get rest for the following morning.

Hours later, Octavia and Clarke rested on their backs. Octavia smelled the air briefly. 

"Clarke? You're supposed to be taking the sup-" "I decided to stop taking them," Clarke stated calmly, "If I'm supposed to lead, I need to learn how to control myself without the suppressants. Mind over body."

"Alright, but Wells and I are still going to keep an eye on you. We can't trust any of these Alphas to control themselves."

_____

Lincoln approached a clearing in the forest, miles away from the creek. He was wrapped up in thoughts about the sky people, specifically Octavia. He never thought his mate would drop from a metal box onto the ground, but he didn't care about where she came from. He only cared about her.

He paused and his eyes met deep green forest-like eyes. "Heda," he whispered quietly and bowed down on his knees.

The tall and fierce figure stepped out of the shade provided by the trees and nodded her head in a firm motion. Lincoln regained his balance and stood from the ground. The figure stepped closer and smelled the scent clinging to her warrior's armor. A mark hidden under her left chest plate burned in a subtle feeling. Her mouth began to gape in wonder, then closed as quickly as it opened. She pressed her left hand against her collarbone. 

"I met her," Lincoln once again locked his eyes with his leader, "Clarke kom Skaikru. The scouts are correct. She is an Omega. The chemicals in her bloodstream are beginning to decrease. Skaikru medicine, I think. She seems to be a more capable leader than-" his thoughts left him distracted, then he recollected them, "-Octeivia kom Skaikru's brethren. He thinks with his body's instincts instead of his thoughts. He has a firm belief that only Alphas can lead their people. I don't believe Clarke is a threat. She did not challenge me nor turn away in fear. She understood that I was not a threat. But I didn't tell her the reason why we need her to meet Trikru. I did not want to risk frightening or angering her."

The commander nodded once more. She closed her deep green eyes tightly in thought. Her Alpha tendencies called to this new Omega, but the time wasn't right yet. She wanted to track her scent and finally speak to her, but not yet. Four days' time would need to pass if the plan sticks.

"You are wise, Lincoln. This is why we need Clarke kom Skaikru to meet Anya. We need to know if she can be trusted before we can talk about an alliance. If the scouts are correct, the Skaikru lack Alphas. We lack Omegas. With our combined numbers of Betas, we would be able to protect them from unwelcome advances. Octeivia kom Skaikru's brother feels threatened by Clarke's refusal to submit. He does not know how to control himself, and neither do the other Alphas from Skaikru. We need to assist them before they harm their Omegas. They're also scaring away our prey. Their loud weapons are drawing them away."

"Thank you for allowing me to meet them, Heda Lexa," Lincoln bowed once again, then walked past her to enter TonDC to discuss his knowledge of the Skaikru with General Anya.

Lexa let go of her firm facial expression. Nervousness overcame her. She didn't want Clarke to be harmed by untamed Alphas. The thought made her sick with worry. The young Alpha hadn't felt this way in a while. Not since Costia. She reached for the mark, not wanting the inked imprint to cool down from its warmth. 

"She's so close yet so far away," she quietly spoke when she was sure Lincoln was out of hearing range. The fierce, battle hardened commander would finally be able to meet the Skai Prisa and for once, she would be able to combine duty and her heart without being seen as weak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I wanted the Alphas to begin experiencing their deep nature without going overboard.


	5. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions decrease. Lincoln shares information between the Skaikru and Trikru.

Brightness overshadowed the small chill from a few wind breezes. Clarke stretched her arms and rose to her feet. She tied a blue ribbon into the light tresses of her slightly wavy hair.

"Clarke! Check this out!" A familiar Beta shouted eagerly. 

Clarke climbed from the dropship ladder and ran outside. She turned her head to find the source of the voice. She closed her eyes firmly and tried to smell the air. She kept a promise to herself when she gave up on the suppressants. She needed to learn from the instincts that the medicine previously blocked. She needed to learn how to use them effectively and be a leader. 

A gentle scent flooded her nose and she ran up a hill in the camp territory. She peered through countless bushes until she found the source.

Octavia cautiously gazed around the shade of trees. Bright blue glowing butterflies surrounded the area. A few of them landed on her arm. Clarke barely contained a gasp. Despite finding animals to prey on the previous night, living creatures still amused her on a high level. She joined Octavia.

A strange shape began to fall. Clarke grabbed Octavia's arm to get her attention and pointed at the sky. The shape's bottom began to catch on fire as it hit the planet's atmosphere. Both girls ran back to the center of camp.

The other hundred gathered around and stared into the sky. Clarke gripped her map from her pocket. "Bellamy, Finn and Octavia, come with me. Wells and Monty, make sure the Omegas get their suppressants if they still want to use them," she ordered. 

Clarke did not trust Wells, but she knew he would keep an eye on everyone's safety. Bellamy's anger began to boil from being ordered around. But he trusted Octavia's judgement, and she trusted Clarke. He would agree to follow her, at least for the moment.

____

"Right there," Finn mumbled quietly to the group. Clarke marked her map with a small slash to indicate the shape's location. Slowly, they made their way towards it while Bellamy and Octavia checked for threats in the surrounding area.

"It's an escape pod," Clarke whispered. She opened the door. Someone in a heavily padded space suit groaned quietly in the single chair. The helmet was cracked in the center and a small pool of blood fell to the ground. Finn removed the helmet carefully. His eyes widened and his breath hitched. Now fully conscious, the person in the suit stirred awake and gasped. "Finn?" "Raven!" The girl discarded the suit, thankfully she was fully clothed, and jumped out of the pod. She embraced Finn, refusing to let go. They had some sort of strong bond. Clarke scratched the back of her head uncomfortably. She didn't know how to act in this situation, so she turned her eyes elsewhere.

Raven turned around and stared at the light from the sun. Real light. Not artificial. She paused, then walked back to Clarke. "Sorry for that introduction. I'm Raven Reyes and I'm from the Ark. Doctor Griffin sent me here."

Clarke's eyes shifted back to her. "My mom sent you?" "So you're Clarke, then! She wanted me to check on you! Here, I have this radio."

Bellamy and Octavia approached the pod. Raven dug the radio out of the now defunct hunk and gave it to Clarke. Bellamy glared at Raven suspiciously. Omega. A strangely brave Omega, like Clarke, if she was really willing to land on the planet alone. 

A new scent flooded his nostrils. Strong, male, Alpha. Trees. The scent was confirmed when Octavia shouted. This had to be Lincoln. The strong male oozed tree bark and grasses. The man in question hugged his mate to test the boundaries. Bellamy growled, but Octavia's Beta scent calmed him down. Weird how Betas could do that.

"I am Lincoln of the Tree People. Heda Leksa and General Onya wanted me to brief you on the future meeting," he explained.

Raven stared at him in confusion. Finn quietly whispered in her ear, "He's a Grounder. I'll explain it later. He's not a threat."

Clarke jaw dropped, then closed again. Lincoln pronounced syllables, vowels and consonants more sharply than the Arkers. "Lexa? Lexa is your commander?"

Lincoln nodded his head and stepped closer to the blonde Omega. "If Anya and the two other most-trusted high-ranking officials, Gustus and Indra approve of your people, you will meet the Heda. You are instructed to refer to her as Commander when she is in the presence of common warriors. You may call her by her name if she grants you permission. She will refer to you as Klark kom Skaikru. Clarke of the Sky People, just as she is Leksa kom Trikru."

Clarke listened to his words carefully. Bellamy once again radiated anger. Octavia gripped Clarke's arm and led her away from him, just as a safety precaution. Lincoln gazed in thought, then turned his head towards Bellamy. "My scouts say you identify as 'Bellami'. Am I correct?"

Bellamy nodded curtly. He wondered why scouts would watch them, but he realized the 100 most likely landed in Grounder territory. Trikru territory. Of course they would be watched.

"Bellamy, I don't mean harm to you or your people. Right now, I'm a messenger. And your sister's soul mate," Lincoln chose his words carefully. The last thing he needed was to agitate an already angry, untrained Alpha.

Luckily, the anger subsided. Bellamy no longer radiated anger. "Thanks for saving my sister. I was pissed off and angry when I first detected your scent. But when she told me you saved her from some kind of monster in the creek, it stopped."

Lincoln held out his arm, beckoning Bellamy to do the same. Lincoln grasped his forearm. "Everyone," he called, watching as everyone's eyes followed the hand movement, "This is called a Grounder promise. It's symbolic in each of the clans," his eyes locked with Bellamy's, "I will not let harm come to Octavia if I can prevent it. She will be safe and I will ensure that the Trikru will welcome her with open arms."

Bellamy smiled and tightened his grip. "I trust you, Linkon kom Trikru," he pronounced the vocals sharply, mimicking the Grounder's way of speaking. He let go of the grip, and stated, "I'm sorry if the scouts detected my violent attitude. I used to be in control of myself."

"It's the new surroundings, the new scents and blend of untreated hormones in the air," Lincoln explained, "This is a normal reaction. Alphas have urges to establish dominance when they feel threatened. But you need to know, if the plan succeeds, the Trikru will help you. We can train you to control yourself. Another thing," he nodded to Clarke as if to say 'come closer'.

Clarke and Octavia stood opposing Bellamy and Lincoln. Lincoln stated, "Some of our scouts picked up on things you said from your camp. Something about how Omegas aren't supposed to lead. Could you explain?"

Finn butted in. "Why were you spying on our camp?" "You are strangers who fell from the sky into our territory. Why wouldn't we spy on you?" "Huh. Good point." 

Clarke met Lincoln's gaze. "Back on the Ark, our home in the sky, only Alphas could be leaders. Our leaders are called Chancellors. Alphas are considered to be the strongest because they don't hesitate to make haste decisions." "What of Betas?" "They're sort of neutral. Betas comfort Alphas and Omegas, they can be really great guards. Their scents aren't as intimidating as Alphas or sweet as Omegas. They don't cause distractions, they only cause gentle feelings." 

Lincoln nodded in understanding. "Grounders also have Beta guards for that reason. But what about Omegas? The scouts smelled chemical traces mixed with your natural scents." "Omegas are trained to use suppressants to block out heats. It makes them less of a target from Alphas. But we're running low, and I stopped using them yesterday. If I'm to become a leader, I need to master my body and thoughts." 

"Spoken like a true leader. Omegas are considered to be equals within the Trikru. From the looks on your faces, I'll assume the Ark didn't give the same treatment." 

Raven spoke up, "Omegas are considered to be the weakest because we don't have as much testosterone as Alphas."

"Estrogen does not equate with weakness. All three counterparts radiate individual strength. When you meet Anya, she'll have an open discussion with you."

The young Arkers stole surprised glances from each other. Clarke asked, "Do you demand Omegas to submit?" "Everyone submits to the Heda. But if you're asking Omegas specifically, no. Again, everyone is an equal. No special or villainous treatment is granted to any of the counterparts."

Bellamy smiled nervously. "Clarke, I'm still not sure how to handle this change in the hierarchy, but I'm sorry. Just because I'm an Alpha doesn't mean I have to push you around or gain leadership."

Clarke paused to think. "I think it's safe to say I'm the leader of the hundred. Bellamy, I'll still need your help. Teach me how to be intimidating. I don't want to look like a cowering child in front of the Grounders."

"No problem. We need to figure out who to bring. We have two days to sort it out."

Lincoln sighed of relief. His mark heated up as Octavia embraced him. They were total strangers, but knew their souls were linked. They would eventually grow to be attached like Monty and Jasper. "I'm glad Heda allowed me to make contact with you. She's right to trust you."

Clarke beamed slightly from the mention of her soul mate's title. "I waited since I was twelve years old, when my mark finally formed. I knew Octavia and I were drawn to Earth for a deeper reason." She shared a laugh with Octavia. So far, things were going smoothly.

Lincoln spoke again. "My mark formed when I was fifteen. The Heda and I were given strange but welcome attention. It's not often that Grounders are Marked. It happens, but it hasn't been all that common since the second generation of the world's end rose."

Octavia added, "Since your people are increasing in numbers, maybe Marked Grounders will become more common in the future. Most of the Ark's people are Marked, but there was a decrease after, well, the world's end."

"Maybe," Lincoln nodded.

Clarke gripped the radio in her hands. "We should salvage what we can from the escape pod and head back to camp."

____

At first, the hundred were extremely cautious of the strange Grounder. But they came to accept him when they learned of how he was a messenger for a peace meeting. 

In the top floor of the drop ship, Monty and Raven fiddled with the radio. The short-term engineer and the mechanic made a great team. A few wire connections and electrical whirs later, static frequency could be heard. 

"Someone, get Clarke and Bellamy," Raven shouted. Miller, another young but able-bodied delinquent, ran downwards and used his Beta abilities to track Clarke down. As soon as he found the Omega and Alpha, he grunted in surprise. "I could smell you both so easily!"

Clarke laughed, "We're not used to using our senses like this. But we're adapting pretty damn fast."

Bellamy and Clarke followed Miller up the ladder. Raven grabbed Clarke and shoved her into one of the chairs from the journey to Earth. "Clarke? Hello?" a worried voice called.

Clarke gripped the radio from Raven's hands. Bellamy sat in the chair next to her. "Mom, it's me! And Wells is safe," she figured Jaha probably stood in the same room as her mother.

"I'm so glad you're okay! Some of the vital signs spiked up really high. Is everyone alright?" "Yes, we're more than alright! But most of the food perished along with most of the suppressants. We're learning how to hunt! There are animals here. No one's sick yet, so I guess we're cooking them correctly. And we made contact with Grounders."

Lincoln and Octavia crawled up the ladder and joined the commotion. 

"What? No, everyone was killed after-" "Lincoln, come here!" Lincoln obeyed Clarke's call.

"Can you say my mother's name in Trigedasleng? Her name is Abby." Lincoln leaned over the radio. "Abi kom Skaikru. I am Linkin kom Trikru."

"Holy shit," Jackson shouted from Abby's side. Clarke added, "We're having a peace meeting between us and the Tree People clan in two days. I'm going to speak to their General and meet their Commander if everything works out."

Silence. Seconds tick. Two minutes tick. "Honey, no. You're an Ome-" "Don't you dare say it. I'm a leader now. I'm capable of handling it. But I'm not alone. Bellamy and Octavia Blake have been more than helpful, Raven and Monty are making repairs to damages and the Betas are keeping everyone calm. I'm meant for this."

The others quietly shuffled their feet. Lincoln frowned softly. The Ark had a strange hierarchy. His commander would not approve of Abby's doubtful attitude towards Clarke.

"We'll talk about this another time, Clarke. But we have two urgent matters to discuss. We have two or three months left of oxygen. We're going to need to land, and when that happens, the Chancellors will take control." 

Lincoln pressed his mouth near the device. "The commander sees Clarke as the leader of the Skaikru. She will not allow you to take control. You are strangers to this land. We are becoming more familiar with your daughter and we will not follow your words."

More silence followed. Monty cleared his throat and exited the dropship, followed by Raven, Bellamy and Miller. Lincoln and Octavia stood firmly by Clarke.

Jaha spoke, "We'll this out at a later time. Right now, we need to focus on safely landing. Please establish peace with the Grounders. They know the world better than we do. They can help us rebuild civilization. Abby is about to speak again."

One minute of silence. "The signal's about to go out, Clarke. I need you to listen to me. I told Jaha about the oxygen failure that led to Jake being floated. I'm so sorry-" the signal cut off.

Confusion, anger and sadness mixed in the air. Octavia nudged Lincoln quietly. The Trikru warrior climbed down the ladder quickly and exited the dropship. Words were not spoken. Tears fell from deep blue eyes, a face reddened, hands were gripped. 

____

"It's cold. What does it mean?" The young commander entered the healer Nyko's tent unannounced.  
The long-haired and blue-tattooed healer removed Lexa's chest piece and moved his thumb across her collarbone to meet the mark. "Cold to the the bone. She is sad and afraid, Heda," he spoke softly.

____

Dark skies greeted bright stars. Wells sensed a familiar presence and turned around to meet Clarke's tear-stained cheeks. 

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, barely able to speak, "I learned the truth and I-"

A firm grasp wrapped around the middle of her back. Clarke stifled a cry, "You made me hate you so I wouldn't hate the only family I have left." 

Wells didn't speak. He allowed his scent to comfort Clarke, but he barely managed to hold back his own tears. Octavia moved from the shadows and entered the hug, followed by Miller and followed by a blonde haired and brown eyed Beta named Harper. They comforted the frightened Omega out of instinct.

____

Lincoln entered the edge of TonDC, already expecting his commander to be there. He bowed and stood up. Lexa's mark began to warm up as if the cold sensation didn't freeze her chest for several hours.

"Heda, Octavia tells me Clarke's father was 'floated'- it's their word for execution- one year ago. Jake kom Skaikru found out the oxygen in their space station was depleting at an alarming rate. He told Clarke, and she told her childhood friend Wells and he swore secrecy. Jake was executed shortly after. Clarke was imprisoned for treason to prevent others from finding out the oxygen system failure. Clarke had deep hatred for Wells, believing he caused Jake's execution. She just found out her mother was the one who told the Ark's leader of Jake's discovery. He was floated because of her mother, not Wells." He took a deep breath from remembering bits and pieces of the conversation.

Lexa watched in understanding. She sat cross-legged on the ground and Lincoln joined her. She wondered if Clarke felt the pain she felt from Costia's murder.

"My mark was cold to the bone. She called to me without realizing it, and I couldn't answer her. I had to stay in Nyko's tent and I could not perform my duties today. She makes me wea-"

Lincoln cut her off, "Heda, it's not weakness. It's strength. When your souls are united, everything will calm down. She just discovered she would no longer be treated as a second class citizen for being an Omega. People treated her for being weak just because of her existence. Now she knows she isn't weak, and you can learn from her strength. You can learn many things about each other."

Lexa didn't reprimand the messenger for interrupting her. Instead, she smiled, something she never did around her warriors, and lost the stoic and expressionless face of the commander. "Lincoln, tell me something. Why did you tell me about her father's fate? She could have waited to tell me."

"She asked me to tell you. She knew your mark would have a reaction, and she didn't want to worry you."

"The Skai Prisa is kind," Lexa spoke in a gentle tone. "More kind than I deserve."

"If you ask me, you both deserve any ounce of kindness. She passed this personal information to me so she could learn to trust you."

_____

Strange scents filtered through the camp. Lincoln entered the gates of camp. The sun lit up the morning sky.

Bellamy, Octavia and Clarke headed towards him. Lincoln gestured four Grounders to follow him.

"Heda Lexa ordered hunters to provide for the camp. She offers meat and plants to Skaikru as a peace offering," he called so that all of the hundred could hear him.

Clarke stepped closer and whispered, "Come on, there has to be more to it than that. It's because her scouts know we're shitty hunters, right?" Lincoln curled his lips into a smile and laughed. "That too. She also wanted to say mochof- it means thank you- for entrusting her with yesterday's news."

Clarke's face heated up. The foreign warriors brought food with them and placed them near the smoke pit.

Wells gripped her shoulder firmly but softly. "You and the commander, hm?"

Finn appeared and wrapped his arms around the Omega and Beta. "It's about time you two made up!"

Peace. For the first time since they first crashed, the hundred were in peace.


	6. Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Anya finally meet at the bridge. A new threat emerges during an important discussion.

Anticipation bellowed in Clarke's stomach. Octavia and Bellamy stood in the center of camp to discuss hunting tactics. Lincoln and the other Grounders who brought food the day before attempted to show the hundred how to roast meat properly and which plants were safe to eat. 

Jasper trotted towards the anxious blonde Omega. "Your heat," his eyes widened in concern. Clarke gripped the undersides of her friend's arms and cut him off. "Jasper, I'm fine. It's going to come in a few days. But you're in heat now and you need to go inside of the dropship before an Alpha tries to claim you."

The Alphas began to act out of control a few times. The small amounts of suppressants left un-damaged had been consumed already. A few Omegas had already began to go into heat. Wells and Monty were exhausted from having to separate them so often. A majority of the Omegas were forced to take residence in the dropship for their own safety. Any Alpha who tried to follow were knocked to the ground by a team of Betas. 

Lincoln approached Clarke. Four Alphas stared at her with dazed lightness in their eyes. Their pupils were slowly darkening. Wells and Octavia protectively wrapped their arms around Clarke, trying to ward off the confused predators. 

Lincoln folded his arms around his chest. "The chemicals faded from your blood. Your natural scent isn't blocked anymore. Your Alphas are not used to dealing with unmedicated Omegas and they're becoming restless. My people need to train your Alphas to control themselves before they go into ruts. An untamed Alpha during a rut is a dangerous one."

A low growl ruptured from Wells' throat. "Make sure no one touches Clarke when your people meet at the bridge. I need to stay behind to make sure the Omegas in the dropship are safe." 

Finn and Bellamy arrived. Their pungent scents irritated Clarke. The two Alphas stared irritably at each other, then at Wells.

Octavia rolled her eyes, "Are you shitting me? Clarke belongs to no one, stop trying to cause a brawl in the middle of camp!" She pushed Bellamy away and shot a death glare meant for Finn. Wells didn't loosen his grip on Clarke's shoulder. After spending so long resenting him, she didn't mind his touch. 

Bellamy struggled to learn how to control himself. Even after Lincoln's lecture about self control the day before, his instincts still overpowered his thoughts. He no longer threatened Clarke to submit, but something about her scent sent him over the edge. Finn, who was normally not aggressive to anyone, began to experience the same struggles Bellamy dealt with.

Lincoln calmly grasped their shoulders. "You both smell like a rotten swamp. Your hormones are driving your minds to the urge to claim and challenge, and your ruts haven't even started. You need to stay behind because your smell can easily be mistaken as blood thirst."

Octavia pinched her nose bridge. She gestured towards the direction of the creek with her free hand. The Alphas took the hint, called the rest of the camp's Alphas and led the group to the creek, followed by five Betas. 

"Please be careful," Wells begged. He gave Clarke a friendly shoulder squeeze and ran towards the dropship to join the other Betas. 

Lincoln regained his stature and stood in front of Clarke once more. His smell of strength was present, but he did not smell as revolting as the camp's Alphas. He knew how to keep his instincts in check due to his upbringing as a Grounder. And he was remarkably gentle with the Omegas, just like Finn was before his hormones increased.

"Anya will arrive with Gustus and Indra. The three of them are of the highest rank in the Trikru and the Heda's most trusted warriors. Anya will also bring her second. A young Beta named Tris."

Octavia chimed in, "A second?" "An apprentice. Anya is training Tris to be a warrior. She trained the Heda before the Spirit chose her to lead."

Clarke listened to Lincoln carefully. Hearing her soul mate's position in powerful in the Grounder language made her feel something. Probably pride. Lincoln caught on and said "Omegas are drawn to power and strength during heats. Yours is close, and naturally you're drawn to the Heda. You haven't experienced this before, have you?"

Clarke tried to explain, "On the Ark, everyone takes low doses of suppressants just until puberty. And just like every other Omega, I was forced to stay in a heat chamber for a week with my friend Jasper. My first heat. And then our suppressant doses were doubled. So no, after that horrible experience in solitude, I haven't felt drawn to anyone besides the mark, and that was only mild curiosity." "And now?" "Now, I feel like I might fall to my knees when the heat kicks in."

Lincoln and Octavia stole glances from each other. Lincoln's face turned to meet Clarke's. "When Trikru Omegas go into heat, they stay in their homes until it passes. Betas guard their homes. Our Alphas are in control for the most part, but sometimes a loose one loses control and they try to fight their way in. But we have more Betas than any other counterpart, so the Omegas are never harmed."

Clarke swallowed nervously, and let Lincoln continue. "Don't worry, the Heda is the strongest of us. She will fight anyone who would dare to hurt you. And she will provide comfort during your he-" "That's a topic for another time!" she stammered. Her face's naturally pale complexion brightened into a light red tint. Lincoln and Octavia shared a laugh. 

Clarke gazed at the camp. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking. Jasper's vulnerable and he already started his heat. So he can't come. I'll need Octavia and Monty with me. Wells will stay guard with the other Betas. I want Raven and Murphy to trail behind us. They're both far from their heats, so they're less susceptible from unwelcome advances."

Lincoln frowned, "The Trikru would never allow Alphas to harm them." "But we need to learn to trust your people. If the camp sees that your Alphas didn't take advantage of a few Omegas, they'll learn to follow your ways and we won't have to worry about a battle or any peace disruptions." "Very well. Let's go."

____

Monty was a worried mess. Clarke tried to comfort him with words, "Jasper will be okay." "I'm not worried about that, I know he's safe. But I'm worried about.." he swallowed nervously and whispered, "I don't know how to help him during his heat. He's in pain, he's beyond feverish and he cries out."

Octavia lightly punched his arm. "That's because you're a Beta! Your body wants to protect him from danger. But he's not in danger, and his body is telling you he needs-"

Raven shouted, ignoring the awkwardness of the conversation, "He needs to get laid!"

Murphy burst into laughter. Clarke smiled and shook her head from Raven's blunt attitude. No one heard Murphy laugh before. He always had a smug look on his face, but he was quiet as a mouse. Raven eased the emotions out of that tough exterior.

Lincoln called from the bridge. "They're close!" Clarke reached the left side. She stood in the middle of Monty and Octavia. Murphy and Raven took their places beside them.

Galloping caught their attention. Clarke couldn't fight the gasp that threatened to exit her mouth. "Oh my god. Horses!"

The large animals noisily stumbled onto the ground. A tall woman with deep cheekbones stood out among the two other Grounders surrounding her. Two more Betas emerged.

Anya swiftly leaped off of her horse and slowly walked to the edge of the bridge. "She smells just like Lincoln," Octavia whispered. She smelled like trees and leather. And Alpha strength.

"You are Klark?" Anya asked, pronouncing the name sharply just like Lincoln did. 

"Yes, I am," Clarke paused, watching the tall general's face. Anya emanated strength and power. The tall Alpha nodded curtly, then gestured to two of her companions who stepped beside her.

"This is Gustus," she nodded towards the tall Alpha male who had long dark hair in complex braids and a long beard, "and this is Indra," she nodded to the Beta female who had short hair and dark eyes. 

"Thank you for not attacking us," Clarke began, "I'm sorry for landing in your territory."

Anya's stone cold face did not display any hints of emotion. But she did speak in a non-threatening tone. "Lincoln told us much about you. There are many things we would like to discuss. First of all, how many people are there?"

"About one hundred and two. More of my people are supposed to land soon. Right now, we have sixty Betas, thirty one Omegas and eleven Alphas. It's an odd number, but Bellamy snuck on the dropship before any of the officials could notice, and Raven just landed."

Clarke pointed towards the small brunette. Anya nodded, something she did a little too often. She would have to ask Lincoln about Grounder body language afterwards. 

"She smells of chemicals," Anya grimaced. Lincoln stated, "She was probably medicated before she landed. Skaikru Omegas are forced to take suppressants to cloak their smell and avoid heats. It was to protect them from Alphas."

Indra growled quietly, "Any Alpha who takes advantage of an Omega is scum."

Raven and Murphy shared a surprised glance. Raven mumbled, "Damn, I just landed and I already feel safe here."

"Safety is the first priority if we are to ensure your people are safe," Anya mentioned and locked eyes with Raven. The mechanic widened her eyes in surprise, but she didn't avoid the stern gaze. 

'The way she locks eyes and refuses to show emotion.. must be a Grounder thing,' Clarke thought to herself. 

Anya turned her eyes back to Clarke. "Klark kom Skaikru, it appears that we have a lack of Omegas amongst my clan. You have many Omegas and Betas, but the Alphas are untamed. From what Lincoln told us, Omegas are not treated fairly. And if I'm correct, since you were forced to take suppressants, the Alphas from this 'Ark' advanced on your Omegas and used the scent and instincts as an excuse for their actions."

"You are correct, General. Before I left, two Alphas tried to challenge my friend. I wasn't asked what I wanted. But that's not exactly their fault. Alphas from the Ark are considered to be dominant and they ruled over the two counterparts. They were never taught respect."

Anya glanced at Inda and Gustus. They glanced at each other, then nodded back to Clarke. A young Beta appeared. 'She looks so young. Probably Anya's second,' Clarke thought again.

Anya spoke again, "Klark kom Skaikru, we invite you to an agreement. Originally, the Trikru were going to destroy your camp. You were strangers in our territory. But you're not a threat. And despite your people's strange traditions, you took up the leadership role. You have proven your willingness to negotiate peace without bloodshed. The Trikru proposes an alliance. We offer to share our land and cities with Skaikru. But with a price. Omegas will be treated fairly, your Alphas must learn how to control themselves under our tutelage, and you will be under our protection from the other eleven clans. Omegas will be protected during heats, we can exchange Beta guards between our clans to ensure safety. You will learn to hunt properly without those strange weapons you call 'guns'."

Protection, safety and food. Clarke inhaled deeply, taking in all of the information. "General, on behalf of my people, we'll agree to your alliance. On one condition. Take me to your commander."

"I thought you'd never ask. Heda already organized a group to escort you at sunset," Anya's cold demeanor turned into something much more soft. She and the Heda were close due to the former mentor and apprentice relationship before duties took over.

Clarke revealed her left arm. The formerly sleeved wrist revealed the imprinted name. Anya approached slowly and gripped the blonde's forearm firmly. 

A small fire grew from the center of the bridge. It began to escalate further in growth, then half of the bridge disappeared. Clarke fell to the ground, followed by Anya. The tall Grounder growled and glared at her with untrusting eyes. "You-"

"Clarke!" Finn screeched and ran towards them, "These strange people in hazmat suits started attacking the dropship!"

Anya's frightening glare reduced to a frown of worry. "Indra, Gustus, follow the Skaikru! Fight the Mountain Men!"

"Mountain Men?" Clarke asked, frightened and confused. Anya pulled the Omega to her feet. Indra and Gustus climbed up the ruins of the bridge. Murphy, Finn, Lincoln and Octavia led the way to the dropship.

"Tris? Sky girl?" Anya called. Clarke coughed from the debris and frantically searched for the missing Grounder and her friend.

Tris wheezed and groaned. Raven lay unconscious next to her. Her left leg appeared badly damaged and twisted. Anya lifted Tris up her shoulder. Monty and Miller arrived with a stretcher. They lifted up Raven's body and carried her. 

"Skai prisa, come to my clan's healer," "General, wait, my camp isn't far. My mother is a healer and I can learn from her. Please come to my camp so I can help your second," Clarke pleaded. 

"I should send for my healer-" "With all due respect, you better come to my camp. She'll die before your healer arrives. She's losing so much blood-" "Okay, yes. But if she dies-" "I can do this. You have my word." 

_____

Anger and fear clouded the air. People in hazmat suits fired their guns at the hundred. Bellamy and Finn stood together side by side and fired on their enemies. Grounder Betas arrived, each and every one of them were covered in thick leather armor and pierced the suits and skin of the strange people.

Miller and Monty carried Raven to the upstairs of the dropship followed by Anya, Tris and Clarke. Miller ran back downwards and came back with bottles of moonshine. "Alcohol to sterilize wounds," he stated. Monty flicked a switch on the radio, trying to find a decent signal. "Delinquents to space! Can anyone hear me?"

Marcus Kane's voice responded, "I'm Chancellor Kane. What's the situation?" "We need Griffin!"

"Hello?" Clarke grabbed the radio from Monty's hands. "Mom! You're the last person I want to speak with right now, but we have an emergency. Long story short, one of the Grounders has a deep blood wound from her stomach and my friend's left leg isn't in a natural position." 

"Listen to me very carefully, Clarke. You need to sterilize your hands," "We have alcohol. Taken care of. Don't ask how. I'm still not sure how- okay, my hands are clean. Now what?" "Cut the Grounder's shirt off and wipe the blood away. You need to see how bad the damage looks."

Anya ripped several strips of cloth from her long furry jacket. Miller leaped from the ladder once again and returned with a Grounder's dagger. Clarke slowly tore into the young Grounder's shirt and exposed her blood-covered stomach. She dipped a strip of cloth into the moonshine and cleared away the blood surrounding the wound. She spoke softly into the girl's ear. "This is going to sting, but it's going to help you," she dragged the cloth across the wound. Tris groaned quietly.

"Mom, I cleaned the blood. The explosion only impacted the skin and muscle tissue." "Then she'll live. Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding and try to bandage it." 

Clarke applied pressure to the wide gash with her hands. After minutes passed, the bleeding stopped. "Anya, move her back upwards," she instructed. The tall Grounder lifted up the young girl. Clarke tied the remaining cloth strips together and wrapped them around the small Grounder's wound, back to stomach. 

The body next to her began to stir. Raven was still mainly unconscious but she twitched. 

"Mom? She's taken care of. Raven doesn't look so good. Her left leg is twisted up just below her thigh." "Raven? Oh, god! Is she awake?" "Knocked out." "Okay. Cut the surrounding cloth, just like before."

____

Two long hours passed. The battle cries and death grunts ceased. Tris and Anya quietly exchanged words that the hundred couldn't understand. Raven awakened earlier but she fell asleep from blood loss. Her left leg lay still, unclothed and held hostage by a makeshift cast created from the dropship's plastic locker remains. Anya watched her quietly, keeping a silent guard just in case Mountain Men invaded the safe space. Most of the Omegas sat with them. Anya's presence was intimidating, but they would be protected under the Alpha's guard.

Octavia and Clarke sat with Indra and Gustus at the smoke pit. Clarke broke the unnerving silence. "Anya called me 'Skai prisa'. What does it mean?"

Gustus tossed her a piece of rabbit leg. "It means sky princess. Our scouts overheard your people refer to you as 'princess'." 

Clarke munched on the leg. She absolutely hated the nickname. People called her 'princess' on the Ark to tease her for being a chancellor's daughter. But it sounded less ridiculous and more honorable in Trigedasleng.

Bellamy and Finn sprinted into the fences. Octavia sat up and paused. Fear tainted the air. Bellamy spoke up, "We tried to find Wells and-"

Clarke brushed next to Octavia. "Take me to him. Now."

Bellamy and Finn led the girls to a fallen tree. Indra joined them as a safety measure. Blood and stale fear mixed. Clarke's heart began to pulse quickly against her chest. She leaped across the log and cried out.

Wells' body lay limp in the dirt. His jacket had several bullet penetration holes. Clarke bent down, knowing the answer, but she needed to confirm it. She pressed two fingers against his neck. No noises. She eyed his throat warily. No movements.

Indra growled, "Mountain Men did this! For the past several years, they captured our warriors alone and killed the ones who resisted attack."

Clarke didn't answer or listen. She stood on her knees as her heart quickened its rhythm. She experienced a brief palpitation and the cardio muscles twitched and clenched. But all she could pay attention to were the flashbacks of her childhood with her best friend. Tears didn't fall, anger didn't build. 

Octavia shouted, "She's in shock! We need a healer before she-"

The flashbacks stopped playing and the world darkened. Clarke fell to the ground with a loud thud.

____

Weary eyes slowly opened to face a torchlit metal surrounding. Clarke groaned softly and lifted a hand to rub the pain on the backside of her head. 

"It's about three hours from daylight," Raven whispered. Clarke turned to face her friend. 

A burly man with long hair and blue tattoos sat cross-legged next to the confused Omega. "I am Nyko. I'm the healer from Trikru. You fell into shock seven hours ago and you gained a mild concussion. Lincoln's mate informed me of your head falling on a log before you passed out."

Clarke tried to nod, but her neck and the rest of her body were too sore to function properly. She glanced at the torches. "Thanks, Nyko. Why is it so light in here?" "The General ordered a few of the Betas to light torches against the walls. I believe, as your people call it, we are located in the top floor of the metal hunk you call a 'dropship' ".

Raven stood up from her stretcher and limped towards the blonde. She sat next to Clarke with a satisfied grunt from aching limbs. "Thank you for helping me with my leg. Nyko said an injury like this usually results in amputation. No way in hell I'm allowing that."

Nyko spoke up, "Clarke, you helped Tris' injuries and saved your friend's leg. That was most impressive." "Impressive? I couldn't save Wells! I should have been there with him after I stabilized Raven's leg!"

Nyko passed a small amount of jerky to Clarke. She took it from his hands and nodded in thanks as she nibbled on it. A small smile tugged his lips, "You lead your people. You broke tradition. You healed the General's second. You are a leader and a healer. You have a gift, Skai prisa. You saved two lives yesterday. If you stayed by this 'Wells', you would have been killed. You're much too valuable to your people. Your fight is not yet over."

Clarke inhaled air into her lungs and pondered the older healer's words. Nyko, Clarke and Raven sat together in silence while eating the rough meat. The blonde ran her fingers through her silky blonde hair and took notice of her clothes. She wore black leather pants, a tight but comfortable fitting white shirt with a small v-neck and a black leather jacket. She pressed her fingers into the sleeves, which had a few hues of blue.

Nyko tossed another piece of meat to her. "You were washed while you were asleep. Your new clothes were delivered by a few of our Betas."

"Thanks, but, um, who washed me?" "The General and the one who always stays by Lincoln. Octeivia," he pronounced the name just like every other Grounder.

Down below, Beta Grounders arrived, led by Indra. Gustus explained hunting to Murphy. The bird-like Omega was a fast learner. He caught a wild boar and several rabbits. Rabbits were small, but Gustus said they were full of important protein once the fat was burned away.

Bellamy and Finn barely spoke a word since Wells' death was discovered. "It's hard to believe we almost attacked him and each other yesterday," Finn muttered so only Bellamy could hear. Anya approached them and rolled her eyes, "Untamed Alphas. We'll help you learn how to control yourselves in TonDC." She met Finn's eyes, "You. I'm told you're close with Raven. I will not hesitate to put you in the ground if you harm her," she began to growl, but as usual, her face did not express emotions besides false anger and intimidation.

____

Lincoln gazed at the stars, "The commander and I watched the stars together when we were children. Anya would berate her for getting too distracted and Gustus did the same to me. But some nights, after training, they watched with us. Sometimes Indra joined us when she didn't have any Betas to nag."

Octavia smiled and turned to meet his gaze, "Clarke and I watched the Earth whenever I was able to sneak away from my home undetected. We talked about our marks for hours." 

Lexa quietly watched them far away from her temporary quarters in TonDC. Clarke called to her again several hours ago. The mark on her collarbone regained the cold sensation. Lincoln informed her of Wells' death. "Another reason to launch an attack on the Mountain Men," she said to no one in particular. 

"May we enter?" Lincoln called. 

"You may."

Lexa watched her warrior and the Skai girl. 

Lincoln bowed, gesturing for Octavia to do the same. They both stood up after the commander nodded.

Octavia's eyes flicked to her mate's, as if asking a question. When Lincoln tilted his head slightly, the lean brunette turned to the more muscular but slim brunette.

"Heda, one of our scouts said Clarke just awoke from shock. She's in Nyko's care."

"Thank you for this information, Octevia kom Skaikru." The commander tried to keep up her expressionless facade. But the relief in her tone of voice was obvious.

Lincoln said, "There are two other urgent matters. Before the Mountain Men attacked, Clarke agreed to Anya's alliance. The Alphas will be escorted at daylight. The Omegas are still wary about trusting us, which isn't exactly shocking considering their history in space. Their suppressants are gone and a few of them are already in heat."

"Escort me to Clarke at daylight. She cannot make the trek here with her current injuries. Indra will watch over the Alphas and Anya will be instructed to organize Beta groups for the Omegas."

Octavia turned around and exited. Lincoln trailed after her, then called behind his shoulder, "Clarke is strong, but she still needs time to gather her thoughts, Heda. The past few days have been stressful and overwhelming. Let her know you care. It's like I said earlier; life has been unkind and dangerous for you both. Show her kindness." He exited the area.

Lexa watched him leave. Lincoln was right. Clarke needed comfort, and comfort she will receive. Comfort they both deserved. Once again she mumbled to herself, "You will not be harmed under my care. You and your people will be safe with me." She traced her index finger over the marked collarbone longingly, then she sighed, "When did I become so soft?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Our favorite girl from the sky and our favorite commander from the trees will finally unite soon.


	7. Commander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The training of the Skaikru's Alphas finally begin. Clarke and Lexa finally meet in person. Raven and Anya grow closer, but Anya's almost completely oblivious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect a lot of Clexa fluff. You have been warned.

Whimpering cries and growling disrupted Clarke and Raven from their sleep. Both Omegas groaned in agitation. While Clarke and Raven took up temporary residency in the second floor of the dropship to recover from their injuries, the rest of the Omegas huddled up together on the first floor. The entrance was heavily guarded by most of the camp's Betas. The guards growled and shoved any Alpha who dared to gain access to the nervous Omegas. Raven opened the dropdoor and screamed out, "Shut the hell up! All of you!" The noises ceased for thirty seconds and continued. The two exhausted Omegas groaned again.

Lincoln and Octavia arrived, watching the primal sight before them. A few locks of Octavia's hair were tightened into braids similar to the Trikru's hair style. Lincoln smelled the hair and curled his lips into a disgusted grimace. The pungent aroma of the untamed Alphas' desperation tainted the air. 

Anya, Nyko, Indra and Tris sat on the logs surrounding the smoke pit in the center of camp. Gustus left earlier to continue teaching Murphy how to hunt properly. But Indra knew better. She smelled the fear and concern from Gustus before the pair entered the woods. Gustus didn't want to risk the bird-like Omega from falling prey to the untamed Alphas. 

Anya shrugged off the long jacket from her shoulders and draped it along Tris'. Lincoln walked towards the smoke pit. Octavia spoke with Finn and Bellamy at the camp's entrance.

"General, Indra," he greeted, "Heda seeks permission to begin training Skaikru's Alphas. She's requesting Indra to escort them to TonDC, she wants the General to stay here and organize Beta patrols and guard the Omegas. She requests Tris to stay until her stomach heals."

"Reasonable," Anya nodded, "But what of Heda?" "I'm going back to TonDC and escort her to Clarke. I will be back when the sun rises."

Anya walked towards the Betas guarding the dropship from the snarling Alphas. "I need to speak with Clarke."

The Beta in the center rose an eyebrow. "How can we be sure we can trust you?"

"Let her in," Clarke called from the ladder. The Betas stepped aside. 

"Why does she get to go in? The Omegas are ours, not the barbaric Grounders," one of the Alphas hissed. Monty smacked the back of his head with the backside of his gun.

Anya climbed the ladder. Clarke held the attic-like door open. Anya swung her legs to the flooring. "Clarke, Heda seeks your permission to round your Alphas to TonDC. Indra will lead them and begin their training."

Clarke shared a glance with Raven and turned back. "Permission granted."

Raven sighed in relief, "Finally! I've had enough of the growling and arguments outside. One of the pieces of shit broke in earlier and tried to drag me down with him."

Anya's widened and a low growl rumbled through her throat. Raven crossed her arms. She figured Anya would be aggravated with the unruly behavior because of the alliance terms, but she did not expect this reaction. Anya's eyes darkened, if that was even possible, and smelled the air for scent indications.

Raven spoke up, "Finn punched him in the gut when he heard me scream. The dick dug his claws in my bad leg when he tried to drag me, but he didn't hurt me. If Finn didn't play hero, I could have taken him."

Anya made a mental note to thank Finn later. She previously thought he was close with Raven out of a possessive instinct, another trait the unruly Alphas needed to learn how to control, but it's clear he simply sought to protect Raven, not harm or claim her.

'Why am I concerned?' she thought to herself. She shook the thought and remembered the matters at hand. "Heda has allowed me to stay while Tris recovers. I am to combine Trikru Betas with yours. I need to organize patrols and make sure the Mountain Men aren't in our lands."

Clarke sat cross-legged next to Raven on the stretcher. "What exactly are the Mountain Men?"

"They use similar weapons you use. They always wear those thick and heavy suits, so we believe something in the air hinders them. And for several years, they have taken our warriors and killed whoever resisted capture."

Clarke bit her bottom lip and her eyes met the cold floor. "So Wells must have resisted them."

Raven tugged at her friend's arm. "He died bravely."

Anya added, "That one had a warrior's spirit. He will be reborn on the ground. I'm sure of it."

'Thank you', Raven lips moved while she mouthed the words to the General. Anya nodded, but truthfully she didn't say those words to comfort Clarke. Reincarnation was a prime belief in Grounder culture. 

Clarke's eyes lifted up. "Is there anything else?" "Heda will arrive at first light." 

Clarke's mouth gaped. Raven ran a finger under the girl's chin and closed her jaw. Clarke stood up and opened the dropdoor. "Let's get started on today's plans, then." She slid down the ladder and Anya followed closed behind. Raven dragged her right leg and attemped to climb. Anya's head turned upwards. "Skai girl, you shouldn't strain your leg." "But I'm fi-" "Do you want further damages?" Silence, then an overly frustrated, "Fine, but if you drop me, I swear you'll regret it!"

The brunette allowed herself to slip into the Alpha's muscled arms. Anya sighed, "Your people have untamed bullies and yet you dare threaten an Alpha from a different background?"

Raven snorted, "I'm not afraid of you! Your commander's really strict about Alphas. She'd probably tear you apart for harming an innocent." Anya's stone-cold face softened. The feisty Omega wasn't afraid of her. That was a start.

Clarke pushed her way from the Betas. The Alphas growled and lunged towards her. Bellamy and Finn stood protectively by her side with guns in their hands. But the unruly Alphas didn't stop growling and hissing. They grew louder and more aggressive. Beta Grounders arrived and drew their swords. "Cover your ears," Clarke whispered to Finn and Bellamy. She took Finn's gun and waited until the two slightly more in control Alphas covered their ears with their hands.

Clarke fired two shots into the air. The crowd finally stopped forcing their way through. Clarke spoke, "Listen! I know everyone's really riled up. The past few days have been really stressful. Life hasn't been fair to us since we were imprisoned for whatever reason."

A few mumbles of agreement fell on anxious ears. 

"But we were given a second chance. This clan of Grounders have been more than helpful. They could have easily wiped us out. But they chose not to. They understand that we grew up in different circumstances. And they're willing to help us. That's why our Alphas need to learn how to control themselves."

A sneering voice called, "You're just an Omega! Why should we listen to you?"

Anya growled softly. The scent from this challenging Alpha was similar to the brief scent lingering on Raven's leg. "Skai people," she walked passed Bellamy and stood next to Clarke, "Clarke is the one who led you to an alliance. She defied your strange ways to lead you. And as far as I've noticed, none of you Alphas even tried to lead. The ones who attempted did it solely because of your tendencies to dominate. And as for you.." she locked eyes with the owner of the voice and stepped closer to him, "Anyone who dares to harm an Omega will be punished by our traditions. Offenders will be tied to a tree. The whole population will tear into your skin one at a time. If the offender still lives at the end, they will earn a blade piercing their heart. Am I clear?"

He growled slightly, but nodded. Indra stepped forward. "Alphas, follow me to TonDC. You will learn how to control yourselves."

Bellamy approached the Beta and tossed his gun to the ground. Slowly, the Alphas followed his example. Finn's gun was in Clarke's hands. He walked towards her, unwrapped his holster and wrapped it around Clarke's left thigh. There was an unspoken kindness between them. Wells taught the Omega how to handle a gun the night Clarke found out the truth of her father's death. 

Clarke and Finn exchanged soft smiles before parting ways.  
___

Clarke tied her blonde curls with a blue scrunchy. She paced across the bare clearing in the camp. Raven gripped her shoulders. "Clarke, you're pacing like a drunk horse! Please calm down. Deep breaths."

The blonde closed her eyes and inhaled. Octavia ran towards them and hugged Clarke tightly. "It's going to be okay. The commander is a great woman. Lincoln says she's a great leader, just like you. At least you have something in common."

Clarke pulled away. "How old did she look?" "Hard to say. She's around our age. She can't be more than nineteen. And you're going to be eighteen in two days, right? Not much of an age difference." Octavia scratched her neck. A deep bruise caught Clarke's attention. She tossed a braided lock of hair away and gasped.

A red and blue bruise lay deep on the right side of Octavia's throat. Teeth marks painfully seered into the wound. Octavia smacked Clarke's hand away and she pulled the hair lock back into place. "Well," Raven stifled a laugh, "I guess Lincoln's really rough!"

"Yeah, he is, but that's not why I have this," Octavia struggled to meet their eyes. "When two people officially become mates, they mark each other. The marks don't disappear unless the mates decide to split or one dies."

Clarke winced at the thought of pain. She paused to think. Her parents always wore high-up shirts or jackets. They must have covered the bruises. 

"Look, I know it looks strange," Octavia recaptured her attention, "but this happens out of instinct. One minute he was mumbling 'mine' and the next I was growling 'yours'-" "I don't want to hear about your sex life, O!" Clarke practically shouted. 

Octavia laughed. "Alright, fine, I just wanted to tell you to be prepared. Oh, and another thing. We're Marked, so we can sense the pain of our soul mates. But it intensifies when your mate actually marks you. Double the pain," she smirked, "double the pleasure." "Ugh, please stop talking, for the love of god!"

___

The Omegas left the dropship. The pungent smell of overly tense aggression left the air when the Alphas began their trek to TonDC. 

Monty, Miller and Jasper sat together behind a tree. Anya ordered three Beta patrols to investigate the woods. Gustus and Murphy finally returned to the smoke pit. 

Raven hobbled towards Anya. "Hey, um, thanks for what you did back there." Anya sat on a leg and pointed to the free spot next to her. Raven sat in the spot. They both sat in strangely comfortable silence. A vague excited feeling flit through the air. Neither spoke a word. 'Pride,' Raven thought quietly. Anya's body refused to show emotion, as always, but the scent differed. Anya felt pride from berating the gross Alpha.

Sunlight broke through the slowly lightening sky. Clarke took more deep breaths as the inked mark began to warm her skin. Octavia straightened the blonde's white v-neck shirt, wiped off a few sweat smudges from her face and dusted off her jacket. She ran a hand through the blonde tresses, inspecting it for dirt, and found nothing. 

Brief bass-like noises made the ground tremble. Galloping horses trudged through the woods. Clarke took one more deep breath and rose to her feet. Monty took his place by her side and mumbled, "We'll be right by your side when she arrives."

The galloping noises ceased. Anya and Gustus approached the gate. Clarke swallowed nervously, "Alright, guys. Time to meet my ma-I mean, commander."

"Klark kom Skaikru," called an endearing voice with the slightest hint of affection. The commander's tongue clicked, pronouncing the name with the most perfect sharpness. The subtle noise made Clarke's heart swell.

Clarke walked between Monty and Octavia towards the camp entrance, trying to keep a similar firm vocal tone. "Commander."

Swift legs dangled across the black-maned horse and landed on the ground with ease. The figure stepped closer and stood in front of Anya and Gustus. 

Deep light green eyes greeted deep light blue eyes. Intricate braids tied brown hair to the middle. Long ruffled tresses settled loosely behind muscular but lean shoulders. 

Clarke's mark heated up nonstop after each passing second. The commander wore a shoulder guard that clasped with a buckle across her chest. A red cape sauntered down the shoulder and reached the ground. A corset belt stiffly enveloped her hips and black buckled boots met her knees over black pants. A soft fabric shirt stretched down to her wrists. Her left hand was covered in a black fingerless glove with skeletal markings and the right hand was uncovered and bare.  
'So badass,' Clarke thought. This Alpha radiated power and strength. The powerful smell hit Clarke's nostrils, giving her a staggering realization that her heat was creeping closer than ever. 'Shit'.

She caught a glimpse of Lexa's nostrils flair. 'She's having the same reaction as me', Clarke realized. The blonde Omega had a feeling that they would still be subtly attracted to each other if their souls weren't connected.

"Clarke," The way said her name was more than perfect, "I wanted to meet you sooner. We needed to be sure your people could be trusted first."

"Understandable. I'm afraid we're not accustomed to your ways," Clarke tried to keep her ground, but the increasing heat on her skin made her stammer slightly.

Lexa stepped forward to get closer. "Heda-" Gustus spoke. Lexa lifted her ungloved hand in the hair and Gustus stopped speaking.

Clarke managed to contain a gasp. This power radiating from this Alpha was beyond overwhelming. Powerful, not pungent, lean yet strong. The Omega ached to touch the abdominal muscles the shirt hardly managed to conceal. 

Lexa approached closer, until they were standing face to face. Clarke studied the woman's face. Slightly tanned skin, angular jawline, pouty lips, a hint of fondness in her eyes. Those eyes. The artist in Clarke shouted, 'Let me draw you'. 

"Lincoln and my scouts informed me of suppressants. I don't smell chemicals," the commander spoke so softly. The intensity of those green eyes reminded Clarke of how beautiful the trees looked when Clarke first landed. Clarke met her gaze with an equally soft one, "We ran out. Our Alphas were starting to get more aggressive when the chemical scent faded."

"From the information I gathered, it seems like your people are not used to heats," the tall brunette smelled the air again and her eyes widened. "A few of your people have entered their heats. It seems like I sent your Alphas to train at the right time. I can," she took a deep breath, and continued, "I can detect yours is fast approaching."

Clarke's breath hitched in her chest. Lexa began to regret mentioning it. "I didn't mean to refer to anything. I'll help you through it," another audible breath hitch, "I-I mean, I'll provide safe shelter so you're not exposed to the public."

Anya and Gustus shared an amused look. The great commander of thousands of warriors was stammering right before them.

Gustus whispered, "She wasn't even like this around Costia. What came over her?"

Anya responded, "Costia and Clarke are different people. Different people can solicit different reactions."

Gustus hummed in reply.

"I think I'd like that, Commander. But I need to watch over my camp." Clarke's gentle tone pin-pointed Lexa's core.

"Your heat will only last a week. Anya and Gustus will temporarily watch over your people. Lincoln told me you endured one heat in your life before your medication was increased. Can you tell me what happened?"

Clarke's eyes ventured toward her feet. "I was twelve years old. I remember waking up in a heat chamber and the things I felt," she shuddered from the painful memory, "I felt like I was running a fever. The room was ventilated with cold air. I should have been freezing. My friend Jasper was locked up with me and the cold air managed to calm him down. But I was still sweating, my entire body ached and that was probably the worst week of my life."

Lexa watched her with gentle eyes. "Twelve years old? I was twelve when my mark formed." Clarke's face rose to face her again. "Me too. My mark was the only thing comforting me. And Jasper's company was nice too."

Lexa nodded and smiled softly. "I can comfort you through this heat. I will keep you company." Clarke's eyebrows rose up. Lexa cleared her throat and struggled to find words, "I mean, i-if that's what you-"

Clarke cut her off, "Commander, I know what you meant. It's what I want." 

The armored woman thought to herself, 'Good. We understand each other. Now I can stop acting like a starstruck child'. "To my people, I am Heda, or Commander in Gonasleng. You may call me by my name instead of my title."

"Lexa," the name sounded so much better coming from Clarke's lips, "Leksa kom Trikru."

This time, Lexa was the one whose breath hitched. "Clarke of the sky people."

"Heda," Gustus called. This had to be the second time the burly man interrupted the commander. 

The woman in question turned around, then she growled in realization. Clarke's sweet scent distracted her from an approaching threat. She began to shout orders, "Anya!"

The other Alpha sprinted rather quickly. Lexa's formerly soft face shifted into a vicious snarl, "Gather the Betas! The Mountain Men are back," she tried to trace a scent, "There are fifty of them in total. Order one patrol to guard the entrance. I need another one guarding that 'drop ship'. I need you to bring the largest patrol you can muster to defend this camp and I need a smaller unit to investigate the woods."

She turned to Gustus. "Gather the Omegas in heat and escort them to the drop ship."

Clarke's knees felt weak. Watching the strong and mighty Commander made her feel so weightless, but she didn't want to look weak in front of her. "Lexa, I can fight."

Nyko trudged towards them from the smoke pit. "You still have a concussion! You shouldn't put yourself at risk." "The Mountain Men use guns. My friend," she paused, remembering Wells, before continuing, "He taught me how to shoot when he joined the Beta guards."

"Don't worry, Nyko, I'll watch over her," Lexa assured him. She unsheathed a long sword from its holster attached to the corset belt. 

Jasper gave Monty a tight hug before they parted ways. Clarke caught sight of a bite mark on each of their throats. Raven muttered, "It's about damn time they mated," and hobbled towards the dropship. Tris pulled her up the ladder and Nyko followed suit. Jasper and a few other Omegas in heat entered. After a loud slam indicating the door on the second floor was shut, a group of Betas flocked to the entrance and gripped their guns. Miller, Monty and Harper joined the dropship guards while Octavia stood beside Lincoln and several Grounder Betas lined around the camp fences. 

Anya kept glancing all around the woods surrounding the area and flicked back to the dropship. Murphy gripped a small gun and stood back to back with Gustus. 

Lexa whispered, "Your Betas assumed formation so quickly." Clarke replied, "They probably learned from the guards back on the Ark. Groups of Betas usually stuck together in line formation whenever they patrolled the halls."

A stray bullet hit a tree behind Clarke. Lexa began to growl, irritated that someone dared to hit her Omega. "Attack!"

Grounder Betas unsheathed their swords and charged to find the people in hazmat suits. Some Betas launched themselves from trees and ambushed the people who tried to hide in bushes.

Clarke shot a sniper who nearly targeted one of the Betas. 

The warmness from her mark faded and her heart began to pound. Murphy called, "She ran into the woods when you shot the sniper. She's a friggin commander, I'm sure your girlfriend will be fine."

Clarke was close to saying 'She's not my girlfriend,' but she shook the thought. 'Yet. She's not my girlfriend yet', she corrected herself before directing her attention to the surrounding woods. 

Tension filled the air and several guttural war cries and angry shouts filled her ears. She shot more snipers who tried to stay hidden in surrounding bushes. 'White hazmat suits trying to hide in the woods? We're new here and they're worse at combat than we are!'

From a glimpse of her eye, she watched Octavia reach for a sword from a fallen Beta guard. She hissed and tore down a few men in Hazmat suits. Indra arrived with reinforcements. She watched the girl curiously as if watching her fight were amusing.

Fifty of the Mountain Men were scented and so far, twenty had fallen. "If they attack again, we need to catch them by surprise and interrogate one." Clarke suggested. But when one suit was torn open, the man occupying it began to scream as his skin boiled and blistered. "Oh. They're not immune to radiation like we are. Never mind."

The mark began to heat up once more. Clarke spotted Lexa kneeling on a thick tree branch watching a man reach his trigger mechanism. Lexa leaped from the tree, just as the man pulled the trigger and watched as his chest was penetrated with a sword. Coldness cooled the heated mark. Lexa emerged, shouting "That was the last one. We should still have a patrol walk around camp just in case reinforcements show up."

Clarke watched in horror as she found the source of coldness. A bullet wedged between a nook in the corset belt and a liquid substance poured out. "Dropship. Now," the Omega ordered. Lexa tried to protest, "It's not deep. I am fine." "You're in pain and I can feel it. Dropship now, Lexa."

___

A soft clank hit the ship's floor. Nyko used his own hand to pull the bullet out. Clarke watched with worried eyes. Lexa kept a persona of normality on her face, but the occasional chill of the mark proved she was in pain.

Nyko spoke up, "I need to check on injuries in the camp, Heda. But Clarke is a healer, as you probably know."

Clarke sat on the ground in front of her soul mate and gripped the metal cup containing Jasper and Monty's infamous moonshine. 

The Omegas in heat were downstairs, Raven was attempting to fix an extra radio she discovered with the huddled Omegas, the Beta guards paced the camp and Murphy ventured on to hunt with Gustus and Anya. 

"I'm going to need you to take that off," Clarke gestured towards the corset belt. Lexa pulled the belt off. Clarke pulled it to the side and folded her shirt. Anya left extra cloth strips from the night Tris was injured. Clarke dipped a cloth into the moonshine and gently rubbed the black fluid from Lexa's stomach. She quietly admired the exposed and firm abs, then she glanced at the black liquid. "I'm a nightblood," the commander explained when she saw the blonde's confusion.

"That just leads to more questions," Clarke rose an eyebrow. She cleared the black blood. Lexa squirmed when the cloth drifted across the wound, but her face remained stoic. She was definitely Anya's second at one point. The way they cloaked their emotions was too similar. 

"Lexa, it's okay to feel pain. I know you're holding back." "Pain is weakness." They locked eyes briefly before Clarke broke the gaze and focused on the wound. "We're alone here. No one's going to hear you."

They sat in silence. Lexa uncrossed her legs to allow Clarke to reach a better angle. The blonde Omega crawled forward between the commander's legs and stood on her knees. She dabbed the wound carefully and unintentionally solicited a pained wince.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you about the stinging," worried blue eyes met soft green eyes. The pained expression turned into a fond one. Clarke's mark gained a sudden heat increase. Lexa unclasped her shoulder guard and settled it next to the corset belt. Clarke struggled to find the purpose of the sudden action until her eyes spotted her own name on the Alpha's collarbone. 

Lexa spoke softly, "I thought there was something odd when I realized it was written in Gonasleng. Lincoln shared the same confusion."

Clarke bandaged the wound. Luckily it was just a minor injury since the corset belt prevented the bullet shell from bedding itself further into the skin. The blonde shrugged off her blue-striped leather jacket and tossed it with the corset belt and shoulder guard. She turned her wrist palm-facing upwards and gestured towards her mark.

Lexa reached out and traced her own name with callused yet gentle fingers. Clarke traced her fingertips on Lexa's collarbone. The heat from each of their marks heated up unexpectedly. They both gasped from the strange feeling, then laughed at each other's reactions. Clarke rolled down Lexa's shirt to cover the graze wound.

"I meant what I said earlier," Lexa broke the silence and waited for Clarke to meet her gaze to continue, "I will provide you with safe shelter." 

Clarke spoke quietly, "I'm a stranger who unintentionally invaded your territory and I'm the leader of a new group. Won't your people speak out against me?"

Lexa met the quiet tone with her own, "No one will harm you, Klark kom Skaikru." "But what about you?" "My word is law. Anyone is free to have their own opinions, but anyone who challenges my acceptance of you will be punished accordingly."

Acceptance. That's a word Clarke hasn't felt in a long time, not since the day she was locked in the Skyblock for a year. "Clarke? Are you alright?" Lexa's concern made Clarke smile.

"Yes. I feel pretty great, actually." The blonde shifted her legs. Her legs began to feel numb and she groaned in frustration.

"Pins and needles?" Lexa guessed. Clarke groaned again in response. "Yeah. I didn't know Grounders explained it that way." "There isn't a more specific way to explain it." "True."

Clarke sat cross-legged and regained her previous position between Lexa's spread legs. 'This would look so suspicious in any other situation', Clarke thought quietly. "The wound's minor. The bullet barely penetrated your skin."

Lexa nodded and leaned her back against the cold metal wall. "How's your concussion?" 

Clarke shrugged her shoulders. "I think the back of my head is still bruised and I'm a little dizzy, but I'm fine." The Omega retraced the taller girl's collarbone. Lexa's finger tips grazed Clarke's elbows, then she drew her in closer. Clarke's breath hitched from the contact, but she allowed herself to be enveloped in Lexa's strong arms. 

Lexa brought her own knees closer to her chest and settled them around Clarke's frame. The slightly smaller blonde leaned more into Lexa's left side to avoid pressing on the wound, then she wanted to try something. She leaned in closer, leaning against's Lexa's chest and pressed her lips to the inked collarbone. Clarke's own mark heated up in response. A low rumble ruptured in Lexa's throat. Clarke pulled away, not sure if she upset the commander and made her growl, but the noise turned repetitive and overly comforting. "You're.. you're purring!" 

A light red tint scorched the tall commander's cheeks. Clarke pulled herself back into Lexa's soft embrace and leaned her head against the Alpha's chest. 

'Mine,' Lexa quietly thought to herself, and unbeknownst to her, Clarke was thinking, 'Yours'.

___

"What's that thing?" Anya pointed at the radio in Raven's hands.

Raven made herself comfortable on the log by the smoke pit. "Radio. It's a communication device."

She tinkered with it and loud out a happy shout of satisfaction when static noises pierced the air. Anya sat next to the Omega. 

Gustus and Murphy returned with deer and rabbit corpses. They tossed the animals next to the pit and headed somewhere quiet. Murphy's lips opened a tooth-baring grin.

"They're definitely a thing," Raven muttered. Anya turned towards her. "How would you know?" "Murphy's really quiet. And he only has that goofy smile on his face when I say something ridiculous. Looks like the big muscular warrior's seeing small bird-like Murphy." 

Anya's eyes followed the interesting pairing. "I don't see it." "Well, the leader of this group is your commander's soul mate. And one of your warriors is soul linked to Octavia."

The tall Alpha thought to herself quietly, "Heda and the sky girl are soul mates, as well as Lincoln and Octavia. Obviously they would be matched. But Gustus and.." her pronunciation was beginning to sound adorable to Raven, "Murfi? They're not linked."

Raven turned her attention away from the radio and unintentionally locked eyes with Anya. "Sometimes opposites attract." She stood up and hobbled away to speak to Jasper, leaving the Anya in confusion as she failed to recognize the sky girl's obvious hint. "Opposites? Does she mean Trikru and Skaikru?"

___

"It's past sunset," Lexa mumbled into Clarke's hair. The Omega pulled away from the Alpha's embrace, instantly regretting the loss of contact. They both stood up and Clarke bent down to grab the shoulder guard.

"I feel so sore," Clarke complained as she strapped the armor piece around the tall brunette's sturdy shoulders. 

"You shouldn't have fallen asleep for five hours in the same position, Clarke." "Then you shouldn't have purred." "It was a natural reaction! I purr when I'm relaxed."

Here she was, the commander of twelve clans, fearless warrior and protector, defending herself from an inexperienced Omega. 

"Your purring made me relax, I fell asleep, now I'm sore," The Omega light-heartedly teased.

"I'm not going to defend myself for making you relax. That was my intention," The commander stubbornly pointed out, but she regretted her words.

"Then don't. It was sweet," Clarke assured her. She lifted up the warrior's shirt and changed the bandage. 

The commander glanced around nervously, trying to find the correct words, "I would like to make you relax again," and of course she regretted her words again. "I-"

"Don't apologize, I know what you meant," Clarke carefully tossed the old bloodied bandage aside and wrapped a clean cloth strip around the wound. She pulled the shirt down, kissed the marked collarbone and clasped the shoulder guard into the buckle. 

Out of instinct, Lexa began to purr again. Clarke wrapped the corset belt around the taller girl's waist and checked the weapon holsters. "Lexa, when can I see you again?"

"You will see me tomorrow night. I need to go back to TonDc and speak to my generals about the increase of Mountain Men attacks. You'll join the war table after your heat ends."

"Oh, shit, my heat!" Clarke groaned. She was so brave and willing when she stopped taking the suppressants, but the more she thought about it, the more she was afraid of the aches.

"You'll be safe in my care. I'll soothe your pains," Lexa began speaking, but she frowned. More poor choices of words.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. This is strange for the both of us. I understand everything you meant, please don't worry yourself over it," Clarke practically begged. She walked towards the dropship door. "After you."

Lexa climbed down the ladder, followed by Clarke and they walked to the awaiting Beta escorts and horses. "May we meet again, Skai prisa," Lexa squeezed Clarke's hand, remembering the body language she learned from Lincoln, and climbed her horse.

"Good job, Griffin!" Raven shouted. Octavia cheered and Monty rose his hands and lifted up his thumbs. Clarke returned the gesture and frowned as the heat from her mark disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Clarke and Lexa's souls are connected, so naturally they grow close quickly. Anya and Raven on the other hand...  
> It's going to take a while, but they'll get there.  
> I'm considering the possibility of smut to occur eventually. I know some of you would be uncomfortable with that idea, so if I do include smut, it's going to be included in a plotless chapter and I will post warnings.


	8. TonDC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke begins to exhibit a few signs of her emerging heat. Meanwhile, Anya continues to misunderstand the difference between feelings and instincts.

Jasper groaned quietly. Sweat trickled down his face, reminding Clarke of the first time they met. The blonde Omega raised her hands to raise the goggles from her exhausted friend's eyes and ears. She placed them on the floor next to him.

Raven arrived with a small damp clothe and pressed it against his face. He mumbled in contentment and leaned into the fuzzy coldness.

Watching Jasper in this sorry state increased Clarke's own concerns about her arriving in heat. "Jasper," she asked quietly, keeping her voice low to keep him calm, "How does it feel?"  
"Feels like," he slurred slightly as his weary eyes grew heavy with a lack of sleep, "you can't stop burning up. Your whole body aches, you crave to be," a pink blush rose in his face, "touched, ya know? And the urge to be against someone's body increases, to be claimed, to be-"

"I think I get the picture," Clarke cut him off, trying to avoid specific details. She didn't want to picture Jasper and Monty screwing around. Her eyes drifted to the mark residing in his throat. A quiet rumble ran through her own deep thoughts. She pictured Lexa's teeth clenching around her flesh, piercing the skin, marking her as hers. An involuntary whine escaped her lips. 

Jasper and Raven shared a concerned look and glanced back at their friend. Octavia busted through the ladder leading up to the dropship's second floor entrance, shortly followed by Lincoln. Octavia pressed a hand against the blonde Omega's forehead, flared her nostrils to capture a scent and nodded towards Lincoln as if to confirm something.

Clarke's eyebrows rose in realization. "Shit, shit, shit," her worried eyes began to close as Octavia squeezed her arm gently. Clarke breathed in the Beta's scent and grew less fearful.

"It's too soon," Clarke nearly whispered, "it shouldn't be my time yet."

Lincoln spoke in a gentle voice, "Your body is getting itself prepared. It will start when you awaken. Your interactions with Heda may have triggered your heat to occur faster."

Raven's louder tone of voice broke the stiffness in the room, "Interactions?"

"We didn't do anything!" Clarke defensively stood up. Raven crossed her arms and her face froze as if she were a stern mother patronizing her child. 'Must have picked that up from Anya,' Clarke thought to herself. Raven spoke again, "I smelled her scent on you. Didn't do anything, hmm?"

"We talked. And cuddled. I may have fallen asleep," As soon as the words exited the Omega's mouth, Raven's eyes widened, and Clarke had to speak again, "Not like that! She starred purring and I fell asleep. That's it."

Raven burst into laughter. "I don't care what you do, Clarke. I just like to intimidate you." 

"Just like Anya."

"Whaa-oh."

Raven was quickly silenced. Octavia and Clarke shared a laugh. Finally, something broke the tension.

Lincoln inhaled sharply and nodded towards Octavia. The Beta escorts arrived. Upon sensing it, Jasper groaned a silent relief as his mark heated up. 

"Oh, hell no! Screw around anywhere but the ship!" Raven practically dragged him to the ladder by the collar of his shirt. The brunette boy sighed in annoyance and climbed down, followed by the others.

Grounders entered the camp. While Monty and Jasper ran off elsewhere, Raven shoved a small radio in the palms of Clarke's hands. Clarke smiled in understanding. Just in case trouble occurred at camp or if the Ark tried to contact her, she would be alerted as soon as possible. 

She called her temporary goodbyes to the camp, raising an eyebrow as Murphy quietly crept from the woods with an obvious bite on his throat. Raven echoed her thoughts, "Well. I guess it happens fast. Murphy isn't even in heat," she paused, sensing Anya's presence walking towards her, and whispered smugly, "Looks like I was right."

Anya's eyes drifted to the bite. The poor bird-boy looked as if he were impaled by a panther's fangs rather than bitten by a mate. A few smears of dried blood surrounded the harsh bruise. 

Clarke pulled Raven into a long hug. "Please let me know if anything happens. Watch that leg. Don't blow anything up while I'm gone."

"Yes, mother," the mechanic rolled her eyes and laughed. 

Clarke smiled at the playful title and headed towards the entrance. Five Betas strolled towards the wired fences on horseback.

"Skai prisa," the warrior in the front greeted. Clarke nodded firmly, remembering Anya's harsh nods when they first met.

The warrior gestured towards the Omega to join him. Clarke carefully attempted to climb the horse, surprising successful but her thighs burned with pain, and leaned her hands against the warrior's waist. Lincoln and Octavia climbed on the horse Lincoln arrived with the day before.

The trek to TonDC began.

___

Heat spread throughout Clarke's wrist as the horses trotted past an aging statute. 'Abraham Lincoln', she realized, glancing at the shape of the beard. The old US History textbooks spoke about the presidency in expressive detail until the majority of Earth's rulers were forever ingrained in her mind. 'We can name most of the rulers just from memorizing textbook pictures, yet we don't know anything about survival skills'. The thought frustrated her. The delinquents could have died early if the Grounder's woods clan hadn't been so welcoming. 

"We're here," Lincoln announced. The horses came to a halt. The warrior who previously greeted Clarke slipped off the horse with ease and assisted her with climbing off. 

Small hand-made houses lined the busy street. The Trikru citizens spoke to each other and walked around the market area. 

As the Betas and Lincoln escorted the nervous Omega towards the main building dotting the end of the village, silence fell. The talking ceased, except for the occasional whispers spoken in Trigedasleng. Clarke nearly cringed when a particularly toxic scent trapped itself within her nostrils. The Beta guards stopped walking to detect the smell. 

"Sky rat," a broad-shouldered and heavily armored Grounder spat on the ground next to the Omega. 

The silent village watched his disgraceful display. The Grounder stepped closer to Clarke, growling in quiet rage. The early sun gleamed over his bald head. 

Refusing to appear weak, Clarke stepped into his personal space. "Do we have a problem?"

"Your presence is a problem. Your people are invaders," he hissed through gritted teeth. Clarke stared back into the wildness of his appearance. "Your commander disagrees," she spoke back, keeping her voice steady, "We are allies now."

The disgusting scent grew more musky. "Spoken like a true Omega. Of course your Alpha would strike an alliance with you." An infuriating smirk grew from his lips.

"Pleni," Indra exited from a large hut with her sword drawn. She nodded towards the guards encircling Clarke, who also drew their swords.

"You're Heda's bitch," The gross Alpha sneered.

"That's enough, Quint," Lexa emerged after Indra. A loud growl made its way through her throat, causing the Trikru civilians to back away from her out of fear and respect. Black paint outlined those prominent cheek bones and green eyes, which held an obvious fury behind them. 

Quint backed away from Clarke slowly, giving her a silent steely glare and walked away.

All eyes fell on the commander's superior stance. Clarke shuddered from the powerful display of authority. Her Alpha's scent wasn't powerfully sickening like the one called Quint; Lexa smelled of respect that was earned through hard work and she smelled of the trees where her people lived in.

"Skaikru are our allies. If you wish to threaten them," the growl returned in a slightly more quiet form, and she snarled slightly, "You will be punished."

Clarke's heart skipped a beat. The way the commander's lips twisted made her knees weak. The face paint brought out those shining green embers, making her face seem much more bold and fierce. 

Lexa steadied her firm gaze on Clarke, then called, "Resume your duties."

The crowd picked up their previous loudness around the village as if the ordeal didn't happen. Lexa stepped forward to the flustered Omega, her fearsome gaze dropping to a softer one. She nodded towards the Betas, who sheathed their swords in response and left the mates alone. Octavia and Lincoln followed Indra to a tent, which by the smell, was definitely where the Skaikru Alphas were temporarily residing.

"I'm sorry about Quint's behavior. He's very intolerable of guests," the commander watched with worried eyes. "I could have overpowered him," Clarke stated. the defiance in the blonde Omega's stance and eyes made the strong Alpha prideful.

"Come with me, Clarke," she gestured towards a larger hut with yet another nod of her head. Clarke attempted to keep up her stance, but she lowered her guard once she stood in the area. A large throne made of carved wood and intact medium-sized branches for back support resided across from the entrance. A large war table adorned with a map was to the very right of the hut, and in the back of the table, a large bed adorned with several pelts lay. The whole area smelled of the commander. 

"My scouts tracked the Mountain Men here," Lexa led Clarke to the table and her fingers grazed Mount Weather.

"We met Lincoln around here," Clarke's left hand traced the creek. Lexa nodded, tapping her own chin thoughtfully, and added, "My scouts aren't able to find an entry or exit. There has to be a passage hidden somewhere." 

Clarke watched those slender fingers with intense concentration. She remembered the way they held her body against the Alpha's. Just like earlier in the dropship, she let out a small involuntary whine, then quickly stopped upon realization. Lexa's hand dropped from her own face at the sound of the Omega's call.

'Shit,' Clarke thought to herself. Lexa grazed fingers on her elbows, like a repeat of the night before, and pulled her in tightly. Clarke sighed from the contact she craved. Clarke pulled back slightly, still holding on to the commander's body, studying her face, then she asked, "The black paint. What's it for?"

"It's war paint," the taller Alpha explained, "my people wear it for battles and ceremonies. I had to spar with a few of my warriors earlier. I need to look fierce to remind them of my position."

"It does make you look fierce," Clarke moved her left hand to trail against the outlines, then she smiled softly at something she remembered.

"What is it, Clarke?" Lexa's eyebrows furrowed, but she leaned into Clarke's hand. Clarke replied, while tracing the mask with careful fingers to avoid smearing the paint, "On the Ark, we studied animals. And before the world was destroyed, there was a creature called a raccoon. They were vicious but kinda cute. The way your face is painted reminds me of one."

Lexa rose an eyebrow. "Vicious and cute?" 

"Yeah. Some of them were vicious," the Omega dropped her hand from the Alpha's face, "and cute. Kind of like you. And you sorta look like one."

"I am Heda. I am not cute," the commander frowned as if her leadership role was insulted. 

Clarke smiled softly, "Maybe Heda's spirit isn't cute. But Lexa is."

Lexa dropped her sad frown and a low rumble rose from her throat. Clarke pulled herself back into the tight embrace. "I missed your purring."

Lexa ran a hand through the Omega's hair, and she heard quietly, "And your scent," and her face turned into a light pink. The blonde buried herself into Lexa's shoulder.

An overpowering sweet smell alerted the Alpha's senses. "Clarke, you need to rest," she forced herself to pull away from the tight embrace.

The Omega stared at her in confusion, then winced as she suddenly felt trapped in her clothes. The heat was about to hit her strongly.

"I'm scared. If I rest-" 

Lexa pressed a finger to her lips, "If you don't rest, you'll likely collapse. Your body needs to adjust while you're not awake."

She pointed towards the bed. "Please rest. I'll be back later."

Clarke knew better than to protest. Lexa was right, and neither of them wanted to make the heat worse than it already was. The blonde walked towards the bed, inhaling the scent and lay down. She would be completely covered in the Alpha's scent by the time she awakened.

Lexa squeezed her hand affectionately before leaving the hut. She took deep breaths and stopped herself from growling. The overwhelming sweet smell made her ache with an urgency to give in to her instincts. She never smelled anything this sweet in her life. "I need four Beta guards," she called. Four Betas arrived and flanked to the hut entrance. Lexa nodded in appreciation and gripped the hilt of the sword in its holster. The Omega's scent triggered her rut and she needed to take out her frustration on training. She gritted her teeth absentmindedly and headed towards the training guards.

___

"I'm surprised you didn't follow Clarke," Anya acknowledged. Raven shrugged her shoulders and traced a metal arm cuff in her hands. The cuff was removed from Wells' body after the unfortunate death. Normally Monty would probe into the cuff to see if there was an easier way to contact the Ark rather than use the only radios they had, but the nerdy Beta was keeping Jasper company during their first heat together.

"I'm needed here. I need to make more ammunition," the brunette placed the newly created bullet shells in a spare container.

"You've been doing this for hours," The tall Alpha sat in front of the smoke fire with Raven. Raven ignored the stern gaze, barely making eye contact. She didn't respond. She never spoke about it, but she felt useless since she realized she would not be able to walk properly, which meant fighting would probably not be possible. But making bullet shells and providing the Betas with it made her feel less useless. 

At last, Monty appeared. "Raven, you need to take a break," he pressed a friendly hand into the brunette's shoulder. Raven sighed and nodded. She released her grip on the material in her hands, replacing the hand made gun powder with a tough piece of meat.

Anya continued watching curiously. Tris left the log to speak to Nyko by a tree and Monty joined the guards by the entrance. The tall Alpha and snarky Omega were left alone, once again in strangely calming silence.

"I'm crippled now," the brunette said, still not making eye contact until she offered a torn piece of rabbit leg to Anya, and continued, "I need to keep my mind busy and the guards stocked on ammo."

"When you lived in space, what were you?" Anya asked, losing her stern gaze and replacing it with curiosity. Raven turned away again and smiled. "A mechanic. I fixed things pretty often. And a few times, I liked to go outside of the station. I wore a suit and wandered around sometimes."

The Alpha released the leg bone from her hands. "What is the sky like, skai girl?"

"Dark. Full of stars. It looks empty compared to Earth. Out here, you can explore and you don't feel restricted. Up there, the air is frigid, you know everyone in existence, there was never anything new," The Omega paused, and added, "Well. Until now."

She gazed at Anya thoughtfully. The Alpha gazed back, still unsure why she felt strongly for this newcomer from a strange place. Raven smiled softly and left the log to give the new bullet shells to the Beta guards. Tris took Raven's place. 

"Anya," the injured Beta tried to catch her away from the confusing thoughts, and spoke again when she succeeded, "You smell different. Less intimidating."

They shared a quiet glance, and neither spoke. Anya again reflected on her feelings. Raven's heat could not be sensed, as it would be a long time for it to occur, and yet the Alpha developed an increasingly heightened urge to stay by her side and listen to the strange space stories just to see that smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pleni- Enough
> 
> Thanks for reading! The Mountain Men will play a large role in the chapters to come.


	9. Trust and Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa grow closer with a few personal revelations.

Black blood poured from minor scratches. A metallic clank echoed as it slid into its leather holster. Lexa wiped sweat her face and nodded to her training opponents. 

"Heda," a few warriors bowed in respect and exited the training grounds.

Lexa nodded towards them, quietly groaned from tense muscles and her way towards the large hut she occupied. The large hulking figure of Quint brushed by her left shoulder as they crossed paths. The man had caused a boiling rage in the pit of the young commander's stomach the day before. How dare he threaten Clarke's presence? 

Quint refused to mention her title. He walked away as if she were a normal civilian. A low grumble rose in her throat, then continued until she entered her hut and closed the door. 

Clarke still occupied the bed. She slept for four hours and the heat finally reached its peak. Lexa sensed the aggravation and desperation from the blonde Omega.

"How was training?" She asked, giving the Alpha a weak smile. 

The blonde's voice was raspier than usual, probably due to the heat's painful impact on her body. Lexa swallowed and tried to avoid thinking about how much that voice made her want to act on impulse.

"Interesting. Indra decided to take Octavia as her Second. I sparred with her and she was able to hit me. But she moved too slow and I had to pin her down."

Lexa gripped the holster with a firm hand. Now she was trying to avoid thinking about pinning Clarke down. 

Instead of commenting on her friend's rather sudden warrior training, Clarke's eyes ventured to the torn leather on the Alpha's hip. "You're hurt."

"It's minor," Lexa stated.

Clarke gave her a strong glare that Lexa recognized from the Mountain Men's invasion of the dropship camp. The glare contained unspoken words. 'Let me treat it or I'll make you let me.'

Lexa approached the bed. The blonde Omega reached forward and unwrapped the corset belt from the Alpha's waist. 

"What exactly are nightbloods?" Clarke stepped away to grab a cup of moonshine, a small peaceful courtesy from the Skaikru, and gripped a few linen bandages and a small rag.

When she took her place on the bed and lifted up Lexa's shirt to clean the wound, the Alpha spoke.

"Nightbloods are all capable of being chosen by the commander's spirit after the Conclave."

"Conclave?" Clarke gripped Lexa's left hip with a firm hand and brought the taller girl's body closer. Lexa stood between the Omega's knees as the minor wounds were treated. Clarke unbandaged the previous bullet graze wound and sighed in satisfaction. It was scabbing over nicely. A little too nicely.

"Nightbloods heal a little faster than normal bloods." Clarke nodded at the explanation. The Omega came to the conclusion that the black blood was some sort of mutation.

"The Conclave," Lexa continued, swallowing a gulp when Clarke pressed gentle hands to her stomach to search for under the skin damages, "is the event held when the commander dies. The nightbloods compete with each other until there is one last nightblood standing."

"So the spirit chooses the survivor?" Clarke guessed. She wasn't taught about spirits on the Ark, aside from a few myths she read in the textbooks. Spirits were regarded as a superstition. But standing in front of this strong, powerful Alpha was making her second guess her previous beliefs. 

Lexa nodded her head. "Yes. It's a battle of survival."

Clarke placed the final bandage around the wound and the minor scratches. She gazed up at the commander. "It seems so.. desperate."

"It is our way, Clarke."

"Maybe life should be about more than survival," Clarke averted her gaze and glanced down at her hands. "Don't we deserve better than this?"

Lexa tensed slightly from the Omega's words. All the Alpha's life, she had to fight for her people, just like the common warriors. But she had to endure fights against the people who opposed the Coalition, fights against the Ice Nation during a dark time, and fights against her role by enemies who wanted her dead. She spent her whole life just surviving. With the girl who fell from the sky beside her, they could do more than just survive.

"Maybe we do," Lexa barely whispered. She lifted two fingers to the right side of Clarke's face. The Omega looked upwards before the Alpha's lips made contact with her own. The kiss felt so tender and sweet. Clarke broke contact and stood up, her hands refusing to loosen her grip on Lexa's hips.

Lexa stroked Clarke's cheek with a tender hand. Green eyes stared into blue embers. "You hold the stars in your eyes, Klark kom Skaikru." Her heart beat quickened as she leaned in again. 

The Alpha nuzzled the shorter blonde briefly. Clarke smiled from the gentleness of the action. Growing up on the Ark, she had to avoid Alphas as much as possible. Constantly forcing Omegas to submit, pungent smells wreaking the station and the horrifying growls, Alphas were fearsome and tried to dominate anything they could. But Lexa was different. Lexa didn't demand submission, in fact she only forced opponents and traitors to submit. Lexa smelled of the woods and strength, almost like a gentle cologne. Lexa's growls were only intended for the enemy, soft purring were only intended for Clarke. But domination? A determined growl ruptured from her throat as she sucked the Alpha's bottom lip. Clarke would be the one dominating. 

She pulled back, staring into Lexa's eyes with need. Lexa's nostrils were filled with an overwhelming sweet scent, just like the long hours before. The Alpha nodded, understanding her mate's needs. Clarke's left hand released the grip on the left hip and traced invisible patterns on the Alpha's exposed muscular stomach. Lexa leaned in again.

"Hello?" A voice from the radio called.

Lexa groaned in disappointment. Clarke growled again out of irritation. The heat made her angrier at the interruption than she should have been, but the anger disappeared just from one look at soft, understanding eyes. Clarke would be staying at least until the heat ended, and maybe longer to meet the generals over the circumstances regarding the Mountain Men. The two leaders had plenty of time to soothe the heat, and afterwards.

"Clarke?" The radio croaned. Clarke kissed Lexa tenderly and brushed by her to pick up the radio resting on the war table. 

"Mom?"

"We're going to land within two days. Do you remember Diana Sidney, the former chancellor? She tried to overrule us. She locked herself in one of the spare escape pods. She," a small, sad hesitation. Clarke's heart ached. Although she still despised her mother after the truth about Jake's execution was revealed, she still cared for her. Abby continued, "She led a giant retaliation. About less than half of us are still alive and tired from oxygen deprivation. If the landing goes smoothly, we'll be okay. How is Wells?"

Clarke's heart lurched. Lexa reached out and gripped the Omega's left hand in support. Clarke squeezed the callused hand, forgetting it was affectionately touching her face just minutes ago.

"He was killed."

A horrified sigh from Jaha entered the radio, then faded into silence.

"The Grounders told me the killers scout through the woods to find captives. They kill anyone who resists them. Wells died bravely."

The images flashed through her head. Bullet shells compressed into the red leather jacket, the lifelessness in those pained eyes.

Abby spoke softly, "We'll talk to you later, Clarke."

"Thank you for telling me about my son," Jaha whispered before letting the radio go idle.

Clarke released the grip on the radio. "It's funny how things turned out." She kept the grip on Lexa's hand. "Jaha killed my father. He's the one who ordered the execution. My father's gone because of him, and my mother. Wells was Jaha's son and my closest friend for most of my life." She managed to contain herself from tears begging to fall.

Lexa stared at the bare wall across from her eyes. "I lost someone special to me, too. Her name was Costia." She turned to face a pained glance from Clarke, then turned around to meet the wall again. "She was captured by the Ice Nation, whose queen believed she knew my secrets. Because she was mine they tortured her, killed her, cut off her head."

Clarke stiffened from the realization. "When my father was floated, my mark was angry and heated." 

"We lost them at the same time," Lexa sighed. "I felt you too."

Clarke pulled Lexa into a tight embrace. Lexa kept her stoic commander facial expression as she buried herself in the shorter girl's shoulder. Clarke pressed gentle lips to her cheek when she felt the facial muscle movements. "You don't have to be Heda when we're alone," she practically repeated the words from when they cuddled in the dropship, "just be Lexa around me."

Lexa's hold tightened. Instead of crying like Clarke expected her to, she started purring softly. Clarke smiled from the sound, then pulled away.

Lexa's eyes bore into Clarke's. Clarke loved the commander's eye gazing, the purring, the nuzzles, etc. Clarke spoke softly, "You taught me to trust again."

"You taught me to feel again," Lexa murmured. It was true. Costia's death caused her to shut down emotionally, to make herself believe she could only be the commander and not herself. She took Titus' repeating of the lessons to heart. 'Love is weakness.' She recently discovered love was not weakness, but she couldn't Clarke. Not while the Mountain Men were still taking captives from both the Trikru and Skaikru, and certainly not while the Omega's harsh Alpha-fueled people were close to meeting the Earth.

Her jaw clenched. She couldn't let the Alphas attempt to overrule Clarke's position as leader. Clarke had proven herself to be sensible and reasonable during the encounter with Anya. The delinquents' Alphas were pushy and intimidating. A low growl hitched her throat, replacing the soft purring. "I won't let them harm you," she spoke absentmindedly. 

"Heda! Mountain Men have been spotted!" Indra shouted near the door before vanishing to join the Beta guards. 

Lexa growled again, louder this time.

"Keep growling like that and you're never leave this room," Clarke gripped the Alpha's shoulders.

Lexa growled back, adding her signature snarl, "Keep speaking like that and you're never leaving the bed."

Clarke's eyes widened. Lexa was playful and gentle, and now the sudden flirtatious gestures, and the way her lips curled to snarl, it was too much. The Omega whimpered with need.

Lexa's snarl was replaced with a sad smile, then an irritated one. These interruptions needed to stop. She kissed Clarke's forehead tenderly, "I'll be back, hodness." She pulled her shirt down, no longer exposing the hardened stomach that Clarke loved, wrapped the corset belt around her waist and left the hut.

Clarke whined again when the mark no longer heated due to Lexa's increasing distance. "This heat will be the end of me," she growled quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next interaction won't have interruptions ^^  
> The next chapter will contain plenty of Ranya.


	10. Not a Burden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anya and Raven get to know each other better, Gustus and Murphy return from one of their many 'hunting' trips, Lexa finally gives in to Clarke's heat.

Light breezes flew around the dropship camp. Raven sat on the ground by one of the smoke pit logs, gripping the radio in her hands as if her life depended on it. 

"You seem tense, skai girl," Anya commented. She took a spot on the log near the brunette.

"The chancellors just contacted me. The Ark's landing soon," Raven kept her head facing the dirt under her feet. 

"You're worried about the chancellors assuming leadership and harming your Omegas," Anya stated. The small tinge of fear tainted a light breeze. The tall Alpha yearned to comfort the girl from the sky somehow. But she didn't realize her own scent brought great comfort to Raven. The scent of fear would have worsened if the General hadn't arrived.

"Yeah. And I'm worried about the alliance being tossed away," Raven added. All signs of her usual snarkiness faded. "Winter's not a long way down. We're better at gathering food now, but our guns scare away the prey. And some of your Betas mentioned something about other clans. What if the alliance crumbles and the clans attack us? We won't have Trikru support."

Anya placed a steady but firm hand on the Omega's left shoulder. "I'll do anything I can to make this alliance stand. I won't let it fall. It's my duty to preserve the alliance to ensure the safety of our people. The Alphas from the Ark will be forced to control themselves. They will not harm Omegas. Your people are my responsibility."

"Sounds like a burden," Raven mumbled bitterly, "just like me."

Anya's grip tightened slightly. "You are not a burden. You may have an injury, but that hasn't stopped you yet, now, has it?"

Raven's eyes widened as she turned to face the Alpha behind her. Anya released the grip and the Omega quickly gripped her hand with her own to keep it in place.

"How long can you stay here?" Raven spoke softly. Their eyes locked. Tension in the air vanished. Previous signs of tension were replaced with signs of tenderness.

"Until your allies from the Ark arrive. I'm to instruct their Betas, just as I instructed yours. The chancellors will be escorted to TonDC to speak with Heda and Clarke." Anya's stoic glare softened into a soft gaze. 

"What about the Mountain Men?" Raven scooted closer to the Alpha, keeping her hand on the shoulder grip.

"Generals from the other clans will meet Heda and Clarke after the skai prisa's heat ends. We will make camp across the hills when the plan is formed and completed. From there, hundreds of warriors will gather. I will stay at that camp."

Gustus arrived and tossed a few deer corpses next to the pit and spoke. "As will I."

Murphy stood by his side, then stared at his mate in disbelief. "You can't just leave!"

"I must. Inda and I are Heda's most-trusted guards. We must protect her." Gustus swallowed painfully. 

Murphy's concern faded. "What am I supposed to do without your grouchy attitude?" He smiled softly.

Gustus returned the smile. "Teach the Ark how to hunt. You know how to carve spheres out of branches now. Your pocket knife has served you well."

"Let's just make the best out of this before you have to leave." Murphy touched the healed mark on his own throat. Gustus mirrored the action, nodded to Anya and left the pit with his mate.

Raven and Anya watched the pair.

"Gustus is right," Raven stood up and dusted her pants. 

"What do you mean?" Anya watched the brunette with curious eyes.

"Let's make the best out of it," Raven reached for Anya's left arm. The Alpha stood from the log, heart pounding slightly from the physical contact.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to get to know you before the Ark lands," Raven's lips twisted into a smile. She pocketed the radio in one of her jacket packets and led Anya around the camp site.

____

Alpha and Omega sat cross-legged in front of each other on the second floor of the dropship. 

"I used oxygen tanks just to look at the stars more clearly, and to feel the metal under my feet," Raven spoke about the moment she finally felt free, "And the Betas started to smell so strong. The hall was dark. Finn and I were supposed to be asleep, and I just used oxygen for my own selfish reasons," her eyes dropped to the floor, and her voice grew quiet, "I just turned eighteen. I would have been floated if Finn didn't take the blame. He was seventeen, and still had a chance to live if he was declared not guilty by the time he would turn eighteen. So I took the space suit off, he wore it in my place, I ran off to another room. I was on suppressants at the time, so the Betas wouldn't be able to detect me unless I was a few inches closer to them."

Anya responded with a nod. She gripped one of the brunette's shoulder, just as she did not long ago. "Your friend saved your life by risking his own."

"And I wasted oxygen," Raven gripped the rabbit leg in her hands tightly. Guilt consumed her and the Alpha could sense it.

"Even if you didn't, the oxygen crisis would still be an issue," Anya spoke low and quietly, attempting to soothe the usually snarky girl.

"If I didn't, Finn wouldn't be here."

"Finn could have died on the Ark. From what you told me when the chancellors contacted you, this 'Diana' turned half your people against the council, used her Betas to sabotage oxygen levels and electricity, and crashed."

Raven lifted her eyes in shock. "How do you she crashed?"

"One of the villages discovered a broken ship with charred skeletons. No remains," Anya spoke quietly.

The Omega nodded, still shocked but pleasantly surprised. A few lives were wasted, but the Grounder general was right. Finn could have died from oxygen loss or fallen prey to Diana's scheme if the situation was altered. And for some reason, the Alpha was trying to calm her.

"Anya, you're kinda soft for a general," the Omega teased.

Anya, instead of scolding the girl, laughed along, "Maybe I am. I'm soft for-" the words were caught in her throat. She didn't feel this free around anyone, besides Heda before responsibilities called the Nightblood to become Heda, and Tris, her current Second.

"Soft for what, General?" Raven's tone of voice no longer held a teasing attitude. 

"For you," Anya admitted quietly. "I felt protective of you. I'm to protect all Skaikru Omegas, but I felt driven to harm anyone who would threaten you personally. And I know it's not due to instincts. Your heat isn't close."

Raven scooted closer. A playful smile lined on her lips. "I noticed. The whole camp knew too. Monty and Harper started to bet yesterday," she palmed the Alpha's grip on her shoulder, "Monty didn't think you would admit it at least until this Mountain Men business would end, and Harper thought you would admit it sometime between today and the time the Ark crashes. Looks like I have to tell Harper she won." She paused and leaned in.

Anya turned her head shyly, unsure what to expect. Raven kissed the Alpha's cheek softly and pulled away.

"When I'm in heat, you won't be as shy," she rose an eyebrow and smiled at Anya suggestively before opening the dropship door and climbing the ladder.

Minutes later, shouts of "I knew it! You owe me ten bullet shells, Monty!" and "Dammit! Fine," echoed throughout the camp.

Anya clenched her fists and her face turned a bright shade of red. As the respected general of the Trikru and mentor to Tris, she was to be professional and stoic, and instead she behaved like a shy child. Her face lifted when she saw the familiar braids of Tris fall over the ladder.

"Relax, Anya. You deserve fun," Tris smiled as she lifted herself from the door and plopped down next to her mentor, "We're going to war against the Maunon soon. Take peace while you can."

"Mochof, Tris," Anya murmured.

___

Octavia trailed behind Lincoln.

"Azgeda," Lincoln hissed quietly as the pair walked past four armored people with facial hair cut into strange designs.

"Who are they?" Octavia followed her mate's tone of voice.

"Ice Nation. They threatened Heda's Coalition in the past. They are in the Coalition now, but only to keep the peace," Lincoln explained as they entered the Skaikru tent.

Bellamy and Finn shouted together simultaneously as Octavia approached.

"How's Alpha training going?" Octavia took a seat next her brother and his friend on the floor.

Bellamy closed his eyes and pressed a finger to his temple. "A few of our own got out of hand. They growled at a few Omegas, lashed out at a few Alphas just trying to pass by, and a few Betas had to knock them out." He pointed to three Alphas who were asleep in three separate beds.

"Speaking of Indra," Octavia frowned softly, "where did she go? I haven't seen her since last night."

Finn scratched the back of his head. "She mentioned something about the Mountain Men. Some of them were spotted and scented in the woods. The commander gathered a few Betas and left with her."

"I hope Clarke's alright on her own," Octavia clasped her hands together.

Lincoln pat her shoulder. "She has four Betas guarding her. She'll be fine."

___

Lexa quietly opened the door leading to her hut. She walked cautiously, trying to avoid waking the blonde Omega laying in the bed. Her boots clicked the floor.

"How many Mountain Men were there?" Clarke asked with a yawn. 

"Thirty this time. Clarke, you should be asleep," Lexa unhooked the shoulder guard and corset belt.

"I slept enough. And it hurts so bad," Clarke groaned and stood up from the bed. She approached the commander. The sweet scent fumed like wildfire in Lexa's nostrils. She slowly began backing away.

"What's wrong, Heda?" Clarke's voice was both intimidating and sultry to the Alpha's ears. The Omega followed her mate. 

"If you don't stop, I won't be able to stop myself. You're new to your heat and I don't want to hurt you," Lexa admitted as she was backed up against a table. Hearing her title spoken in the blonde's voice made her involuntarily shudder.

"Look at me, Lexa," Clarke brought a hand to caress the Alpha's cheek. "I trust you."

Lexa met the Omega's eyes and all thoughts of previous nervousness faded. Clarke kissed the inked collarbone. Lexa began to purr and startled herself. Clarke leaned her face against her mate's and fondly stroked her cheek.

"This is weird for the both of us. I trust you to help me through the heat," she lost her eyes in the tall girl's. "Do you trust me?" 

The purring grew slightly louder. "I do trust you, Clarke." She covered the Omega's hand with her own.

The combination of the purring and the way Lexa said her name with emphasized pronunciations of k's made Clarke's heart melt. She leaned in and kissed her mate tenderly, a pulled back slightly. Lexa's lips parted slightly, then gasped when a loud crashing noise caught her attention. 

Clarke knocked the cups, plates and sharpened daggers down from the table Lexa rested against. The Alpha glanced at the broken glass littering the floor then turned to meet the Omega's playful smirk. Lexa sat herself on the table, taking the hint, and gripped her mate's wrists to pull her in a heated kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maunon- Mountain Men  
> Mochof- Thank you
> 
> Let's be honest here. According to the amazing portrayal in the show, I think most of us can agree that Lexa's definitely a bottom.  
> I just watched some bits and pieces of The 100's panel from Wondercon. Eliza pretty much confirmed Clarke will never love anyone like she loved Lexa and my heart broke all over again.  
> Get ready for a steamy chapter!


	11. Giving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa finally consummate their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a smut chapter. If you're uncomfortable with sexual content, please don't read this chapter. This chapter does not contain important plot details besides 'Clarke's first time', so you will not miss anything.

Heavy breathing and light growling echoed throughout the commander's hut. Clarke kept a firm grip on the Alpha's hips. The Omega captured Lexa's bottom lip between her teeth, sucked lightly and pulled back. Lexa let out a loud primal growl. The Alpha was too hot and bothered to be teased. 

Clarke lightly growled in reply, "Didn't I tell you I won't let you out of this room if you keep growling like that?"

Lexa cupped the Omega's face and pulled her closer, face to face, and rested their foreheads together, and replied with a husky tone, "And didn't I tell you I won't let you out of bed with your growling?"

Clarke moved herself closer and stood between Lexa's knees, then stared downwards when she felt something throb and poke her stomach. Lexa removed her hands from the Omega's face and her eyes darted around the hut. She tried to avoid her soul mate's gaze, "I-I'm sorry, Clarke."

"Sorry for what?" Clarke lightly nipped at Lexa's earlobe, triggering a small whimper. She brushed her lips to the Alpha's ear, murmuring softly, "I want you. I want this."

She brought her forehead to rest against the Alpha's once more, sliding a hand to her cheek. They leaned in for another heated kiss. A soft knock on the door interrupted the moment. A loud Beta male's voice called, 

"Heda, we heard something fall and break! Are you and Klark kom Skaikru safe?"

Lexa shouted out, refusing to leave her position on the table. "Sha. Leave us! I don't want interruptions for the next few hours."

"Sha, Heda." The Beta called back. Soft footsteps of guards padded away from the hut.

Clarke turned her gaze back to Lexa's and smiled playfully. "A few hours, huh?"

Traces of Lexa's previous shyness faded. Now the Alpha grew frustrated from Clarke's earlier teasing combined with the guard's unintentional distraction. Clarke stared into the determined green embers. The scented confidence from this powerful Alpha caused her own frustrations to grow, and the Omega growled softly, "Let's make it five hours," and crashed her lips to her mate's.

Lexa winced from the sudden contact. A gentle hand rolled her shirt upwards and discarded it next to the broken silverware and polished daggers on the floor. Clarke traced her fingers up the Alpha's abdominal muscles, careful to avoid the healing graze wound and the scabbing scratches. Lexa's breath hitched in her throat. Clarke traced scars gained from battles and rough training rounds, then traced upwards between binded breasts to meet the inked collarbone. The skin heated up significantly, and Clarke's inked wrist responded with more heat.

Clarke grasped Lexa's hands and led her to the bed. 

Lexa's back fell to the fur pelts. She kicked off her boots while Clarke peeled her own shirt off. By now, the blonde's skin heated feverishly due to her heat. 

"This is my first time," Clarke admitted, "and for some reason, I know what to do."

"Instincts," Lexa pulled Clarke's face closely and stroked her soul mate's cheek with a thumb, and added, "Your body tells you how to respond."

Clarke rested her body weight on the Alpha and straddled her legs, internally moaning from coming into contact with the throbbing member. She managed to compose herself, but the scent said otherwise. "Have you knotted anyone before?"

"I'm not entirely new to this. I pulled out before the knot formed," Lexa's cheeks turned into a light shade of pink. The mask of war paint couldn't hide the soft affection and shyness in her eyes. "I've never mated with an Omega. Your scent, it just," she gained the courage to look into Clarke's equally soft eyes, "you're calling to me, Clarke. You triggered my rut the other day."

"So that's why you came to the hut with those cuts?" Clarke's flirty smile reappeared. She pressed herself against the Alpha's member purposefully. Lexa squeaked from the pressure. The Omega teased, "You took your frustrations out on those poor trainees."

Lexa's eyes darted to the ceiling. "They're not injured. And I was not frustrated!"

"You triggered my heat two days earlier than it was supposed to hit. So, for right now," Clarke stepped off the bed, picked up a dagger from the floor, and resumed her position hovering over her mate's waist, "I'm taking my frustrations out on you."

Lexa's eyes widened as Clarke's fingers drifted to the breast binding to lift it above skin. The dagger snipped the threads. Clarke's lips reached the Alpha's neck. She kissed the spot tenderly and trailed her fingers across the well-defined abs.

Lexa would have purred from the tenderness of her mate's actions, had she not been pent up with frustration. Both of their marks were increasingly gaining heat based on gaining arousal. A low whiny growl rumbled in her throat. Clarke pulled herself upwards to place one last gentle kiss on the Alpha's lips, causing further frustration from the light movement. Clarke lifted the Alpha's chin, kissed it, and continued the pattern downwards until her lips reached between the breastbone. Clarke trailed her fingers to the right breast, slowly seeking approval.

"Sha," Lexa murmured quietly. Clarke understood the word by now, after hearing it several times whenever she requested water from the Betas guarding the hut.

Clarke drew one of the hardened nubs in her mouth with an inexperienced tongue. She swiped the nub a little roughly, earning an involuntary jerk from the Alpha below her. She tugged it gently with her teeth.

"Klark, beja," Lexa gasped out. The way her teeth clicked the 'k' caused the already overwhelmed Omega to shudder. 

"You're speaking Trigedasleng. Must mean I'm doing something right," Clarke purred and released her hold of the nub. 

Lexa's arm hung over to the floor until her hand found the dagger. Clarke rose up from the Alpha, trying to understand what she was doing. Lexa followed the movement and lifted the dagger to Clarke's chest before the blade met her bra and sliced the multiple threads between the Omega's breasts.

Clarke's breath hitched from suddenly being exposed.

"Chil au, hodnes," Lexa spoke softly and gripped Clarke's hips before taking one of the girl's nubs into her mouth.

Clarke gripped one of the fur pelts on the bed. Despite the Alpha's firm hold, she was still afraid of calling. Once she felt light suction, she gasped out, "Lexa!" 

Lexa pulled back with a loud popping noise. The Omega cupped her face and brought her into a rough bruising kiss. Lexa gripped the dagger once again while Clarke was distracted and aimed low, tearing away the threads in the girl's pants, tossed the dagger aside and trailed her right hand downwards to the clothed center folds.

The Alpha pulled away from the kiss and whispered huskily into the Omega's ear, "You're dripping, Clarke," before lightly nipping the earlobe. Clarke moaned in response and jerked from the Alpha's gentle hand. 

"Need you," Clarke managed to speak through long breaths. Lexa scurried off her own pants and discarded them to the floor. Clarke pushed the Alpha back to the bed before Lexa ripped off the Omega's underwear. Clarke slid herself above the throbbing member. Lexa gripped the fur sheets and squeezed her eyes shut.

Clarke glided her center above the appendage a few more times. Because of her heat and the intensity of the sensations from Lexa squirming beneath her, she was more than ready. She kissed Lexa lightly on the nose. The Alpha held the throbbing organ to support Clarke.

"Slowly," Lexa warned. The Omega spread her thighs to straddle the commander and cried out when the commander's tip entered her slick folds. Following her words, she slowly slid herself down. 

"I need all of you," The blonde growled lightly. After the final length entered, she cried out again and began to instinctively jerk.

Lexa held in a few soft moans. Clarke leaned downwards and buried her head in the furs against the commander's neck. The jerks started out as gentle and slow, then Clarke moved her internal muscles to clamp down on the appendage purposeful. 

"Jok!" Lexa cried out and increased her thrusts.

"Fill me, Heda," Clarke lowered her voice and moved her head to face the commander.

"Gafen yu tu" Lexa murmured softly before letting out a soft groan. The thrusts gained strength and speed. 

"I'm close! Lexa, I," Clarke whimpered and tried to regain her voice, "need your knot."

Lexa growled gripped the Omega's hips. The knot began to form. Clarke buried her head in the crook of Lexa's neck and whimpered as she felt the solid bundle of flesh finally enter. The knot stretched out, tying the mates together. Their souls and bodies were linked together. Clarke cried out once again before the intensity of her thrusts increased. 

"Jok! Klark," Lexa's hands rose to dig into the Omega's shoulders as she was about to come undone. Once Clarke sunk her teeth into the right of her throat out of instinct, Lexa pulled herself upwards to let her own teeth sink into Clarke's throat. They both came undone at the same time, though Lexa lasted longer because she fell into a rut. 

"Yours," Clarke wheezed through raspy breaths after she released her hold on the Alpha's neck. 

"Ain," Lexa responded. She leaned back in exhaustion. Clarke kissed the inked collarbone as the heated skin cooled down. Lexa purred and kissed the mark she left on the Omega's throat.

Clarke leaned against the Alpha's chest and purred alongside her mate. Clarke never purred in her life. 

After a few blissful moments, Lexa cleared her throat. "I'll instruct our fisa to provide you with a prevention liquid."

Clarke hummed in reply. It was too soon for pups.

"So, Lexa," she lifted up to meet the green eyes she adored, "you speak your native language when you're aroused?"

Lexa stared into the deep blue pools. No longer a shy squirming mess, she didn't need to avert her mate's gaze. But she stayed silent.

"It's cute. And really," Clarke leaned downwards to nip at her neck, "enticing."

Lexa growled lightly, "We'll be tied for at least an hour, Clarke. Your body's sensitive right now."

"A whole hour? I'm pretty sure I wanted five," Clarke growled back. 

"Sha, Klark. Jak mi op," Lexa rose to the challenge.

"Say my name again," Clarke hissed and thrusted.

"Klark!" Lexa groaned with a strangled loud growl.

___

Meanwhile at the dropship camp, Raven turned her radio on to contact Clarke. The incoming Ark situation needed to be planned out. Raven tuned the frequency, then gasped out loud and covered her mouth.

"Oh my god, she left the reception switch on! Oh god, my innocent ears!"

Harper and Miller ran to the Omega's side after hearing the shouts. 

Miller approached the Omega cautiously, "Raven, are you al-"

Silence. Then loud moans and growls, and words in a different language.

Harper covered her ears and laughed, "They sound exactly like the panthers from the woods!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sha- Yes  
> Beja-Please  
> Chil au, hodnes- Calm down, love  
> Jok- Fuck  
> Gafen yu tu- Need you too  
> Ain- Mine  
> Fisa- Healer  
> Jak me op- Take me
> 
> So we learned: Our brave and badass commander loves Clarke's dominant side, Lexa's gentle while Clarke is a little rough, she goes commando, and she shouts in her native language when she's completely turned on.  
> Costia was a Beta and the only person Lexa was intimate with, and it would have been a bad idea to mention it while Clarke gives in to her Omega instincts. Just thought I'd throw that out there.  
> There will be more smut in the future.   
> The next chapter will be very eventful. Be prepared for the Ark and the Mountain Men.


	12. Love and Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa speak to the Ark Council. Mountain Men attacks are increasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! My personal life is hindering progress, unfortunately, but I will write as long as writer's block won't threaten to spiral out of control. But I have not experienced the cursed block with this series, and hopefully I won't have to face it.  
> I appreciate your lovely comments and critiques! Thanks to you, I'm encouraged to grow as a writer and conquer the flaws.  
> I have started a new fic called Blood of Night and Sky, and I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have.  
> As always, thanks for reading!

"Clarke, honey, your vitals are spiking up! Are you sick? Are you injured?" Abby called in a worried panic from the radio. 

Clarke reluctantly rolled herself on top of Lexa's side, effectively startling the otherwise relaxed Alpha, and swung her legs over the bed to lift herself up.

Lexa groaned from the loss of contact. Clarke kissed her mate's cheek tenderly and walked towards the table where the radio was placed.

"Yes, Mom, I'm fine," Clarke sighed impatiently after she pressed the reception button. The blonde Omega accidently left the button switched on the day before. Hopefully no one from the drop ship camp heard the long pleasure-fueld hours. She grimaced at the thought. 

"Are you sure? Your heart rate was sprialing out of control," Abby's words pulled the Omega from her thoughts, "You had to be either in tremendous pain or tremendous pleas-oh. You met her."

Clarke quietly cursed the existence of the metal cuff embedded into her wrist. Lexa's lips curled into a tooth-showing grin. Clarke's embarssment waivered away when she saw her mate's smile. Naturally Alphas would pride themselves in satisfying their mates, but after hearing the Omega's heart rate spike up a considerate amount, Lexa was beyond proud of herself. 

Clarke rolled her eyes in a playful manner, causing Lexa to laugh quietly, and answered the radio.

"Yes, I met her. Turns out she's the Commander of the entire Earth population. We have an official alliance."

Clarke curled her hands into fists, worrying about the incoming questions. But at least, for now, they acted as mother and daughter, and did not mention Jake Griffin's execution.

Abby spoke up, her tone carrying shock and amusement, "Commander? Wait, what is the population?"

Lexa grumbled, her voice hoarse from peaceful sleep, and wrapped one of the pelted sheets around herself as she crawled out of bed. She walked behind Clarke and wrapped her arms around the Omega's waist and rested her head on the crook of her shoulder. Clarke's muscles relaxed as she felt the warm embrace of her mate against her back.

"There are twelve clans," The Alpha stated, "and they are all joined under a Coalition which I worked sleepless nights to piece together. We are all allies." 

Jaha spoke, his voice carrying the same shock in Abby's voice, "That's impressive. We hope to meet on the ground once we land. Kane, how much time do we have?"

Marcus Kane's voice was slightly distant. A few silent minutes past. "Diana's mutiny caused oxygen depletion. We need to leave soon."

"We have a problem!" Jackson shouted. 

Clarke tensed from the nervous medical doctor's voice. Lexa purred softly and lifted her mate's forearm to kiss her soul mark in an effort to soothe her. Clarke relaxed from the Alpha's touch and focused her ears on the radio.

Jackson sputtered out in fear. Clarke knew him from the medical ward. She had never heard the normally controlled Beta act this way.

"Diana took the second drop ship. We don't have any left. We have over two thousand people, and escape pods that might only carry seven hundred to the ground. I think we have to use the actual Ark to land safely to ensure we all, if not most, survive."

Raven's voice cut into the feed from her dropship camp connection, "He's right! I had to perform maintenance with Wicks to check the engines and controls with the other mechanics and engineers. This is the safest option. Trust me, Councilors."

A playful masculine voice called, "Hey, there, little bird!"

"Wicks! You're just too stubborn to die," Raven laughed. A low growl emanated into the speaker, and Raven groaned, "Calm down, Anya. He's teasing me. That's what friends do."

Clarke and Lexa shared an amused glance and eyebrow raise before the Alpha settled her head back into Clarke's shoulder.

Kane spoke softly, "Jaha, we have our facts out in the open. I think we're ready to head to humanity's birth place."

Abby added, "Clarke and Raven, I know we've always had strict laws against Omegas assuming leadership. But," she sighed, trying to find the correct words, and Lexa interrupted.

"Abi kom Skaikru, Clarke is a natural leader. Thanks to her, you have an alliance between our clans. You should be grateful."

Anya spoke up, "Raven handles herself well at this 'dropship' camp. She has not allowed anyone to harm her."

"As if you'd let anyone harm me," Raven snorted.

Abby spoke softly, "Which is why we're going to consider changing some of our laws once we land. I think everyone on the Council can agree that Omegas are just as effective as leaders as any Alpha. But, Clarke, you're a child leading children."

Lexa spoke sharply, "Clarke is also a woman who landed in my people's territory, possibly risked her life to meet my General to talk about forming the alliance, survived a bomb planted by Maunon- Mountain Men- and established leadership despite your disgusting 'Alphas can do anything without proper punishment' laws. One of our cities took in your pack of wild, untamed teenage Alphas and we taught them to respect boundaries."

Concern rose in Abby's voice. "Your people trained our Alphas? And obeyed your command? And you lead twelve clans? Commander, how old are you? I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with my daughter seeing someone older."

"I have seen nineteen summers. My age does not define my ability to lead, nor does your daughter's age, or Reivon kom Skaikru." Lexa barely hid the quiet anger in her voice.

Jaha called, "We'll figure everything out. Right now, we need to find every oxygen mask and all of our supplies. Take care, Clarke, Raven, Anya. And?"

"Heda Leksa kom Trikru. You may call me Commander," Lexa said calmly.

"Yes, Commander. Thank you for speaking with us."

"May we meet again," Clarke spoke softly before the Ark's radio frequency shorted out from lack of electricity.

Raven exited the feed. Not wanting to repeat her mistake, Clarke switched the reception button off. 

The Omega stopped fighting the smile curling her lips. "You defended me."

Lexa brushed her lips against her mate's cheek. "Of course I did. You showed true strength. Your determination to protect your people gives you the courage to continue. And you keep challenging your mother. Clarke, if the Alphas from this 'Ark' harass the Omegas, I'm not sure what I'll do."

Clarke beamed from the Alpha's affection. She moved her head upwards to encourage Lexa's lips. "We'll talk to the Council about the laws and agreements when they land."

"But what if there Alphas harm you? I cannot let that happen," Lexa pulled her body away from Clarke's. Clarke turned around to meet Lexa's concerned gaze.

"You Marked me, and our souls are connected. They'll know to back off," the blonde approached her and her gentle fingers prodded the front folding style from her mate's chest. The Omega kissed the inked collarbone and trailed her lips towards the mark she created with her teeth from the day before.

Lexa purred loudly from the contact until Clarke pulled away again. 

"Lexa, I need to get some fresh air and think about the landing. It's a little too much at once."

"It's overwhelming," Lexa smiled in understanding, "You carry the weight of the sky and I carry the weight of the ground."

"This is so much more than a coincidence," Carke sighed before pressing a kiss into the bitten flesh and backed away.

The blonde Omega pulled new clothes on. Black jeans showed the curve of her thighs, hiding the suction and light scratch marks, and a black tank top barely concealed the light pink parks coating the flesh of her chest. A black and blue leather jacket, placed with thick blue hand-made scales, covered the light bruises and scratch marks on her back. A thick strap was aligned across her chest, just barely meeting the bitten flesh.

"Take a Beta with you. I'll come with you in a half hour, if you'd like," Lexa kissed the angry red marks across her chest in worry.

Clarke cupped the Alpha's face with her hands. "Lexa, it's okay. I like these marks," she glanced at the floor as a blush creeped upon her face, then brought her eyes back to her mate's gentle gaze, "It shows that I'm yours. I kind of like baring your marks. But um, sorry about your back." The Omega pulled her hands away from Lexa's face. 

Lexa walked towards her vanity display and lowered the sheet slightly. She turned her backside to face the mirror, then attempted to turn her head to see the reflection. A few light blood smears coated the deep scratches and finger nail imprints.

"I'm so sorry," Clarke stared at the reflection in horror.

Lexa pulled the sheet upwards again and smiled fondly at her mate. "Don't be. It's as you said. I enjoy having my flesh marked as well."

Clarke sighed in relief as the Alpha pulled her into a gentle kiss, then the Alpha softly murmured in her ear, "Specifically, I enjoy the feeling of your nails dragging down my back."

Clarke shuddered slightly, thankful her heat would be sustained for a few hours at least. "Is this your way of trying to make me stay?"

Lexa pushed her forehead against the shorter girl's. "No, I'm only hinting towards tonight. I wish to satisfy you before your people arrive."

"I need to go before you trigger it again. I need to think," Clarke sighed almost regretfully.

"I respect your boundaries. But if you're not back within thirty minutes or I sense danger, I will escort you back," Lexa stated firmly.

Clarke nodded and placed a last tender kiss to her mate before exiting the tent. A seasoned Beta arrived by her side and led her to the outskirts of TonDC.

____

Lincoln smacked the backs of Bellamy and Finn. The two Alphas shouted in surprise before shooting their friend a quiet yet friendly death glare.

Lincoln grinned, proud of himself for scaring them. "Heda is the only one who can strike me down with the stoic gaze she gives. She frightens me more than my own mother. And you two need to work on tuning your senses. Learn to listen to my footsteps, feel the ground rumble with each step, and smell my scent."

Bellamy rubbed his handprint-engraved back. "Speaking of the Commander, is she alright? I heard strange noises from her tent. Sounded like two arguing panthers in there."

Lincoln's playful smile didn't exit the corners of his lips. "That's what happens when an Alpha gives themselves to an Omega, and vice versa."

Finn's eyes widened, then softened when he scented Clarke walk past the Skaikru-assigned hut. He ran outside and gave Clarke a friendly shoulder squeeze. 

"You made the most powerful woman on the planet growl louder than a panther and scream like a blissful banshee. Good job."

Clarke couldn't contain her blush. She wasn't aware that the noises were so loud. Maybe the huts had thin insulation. She nodded her silent thanks to her friend and exited the camp with the older Beta by her side.

The large figure of Quint blended into the civilians of the village. Angry, predatory eyes watched the blonde Omega exit the camp. "Not so safe without the commander's protection, are you?" he asked to know one in particular. He nodded towards two suited bodies hiding in the bushes. The men in the suits nodded back and silently crept out of the camp, following the Omega's scent trail.

_____

"You have to turn it like this," Raven instructed.

Anya watched the brunette with careful eyes. Raven inserted a screw into the battery compartment of a communication device.

'Walkie talkie. What a ridiculous term,' The Alpha thought to herself. "Why do we need these again?"

"Just in case the Beta patrols are out scenting range. They'll need to communicate with us somehow," Raven grunted as she drilled the tiny screw inside. 

"Good idea. It draws less attention than our war horns," Anya nodded.

Raven slightly beamed from the Alpha's approval. The young Omega honestly didn't care for anyone's approval besides Finn's. Both Alphas were caring and gentle despite their nature, but Raven never felt this quiet blooming conflicted feelings bond with anyone besides Anya.

Anya watched the curve of the Omega's lips and found herself smiling back.

"Raven, please pick up!" Croaked Harper from the radio.

"Harper, I'm here. Are you safe?" The Omega gripped the walkie with stressed hands.

"These Mountain Men ambushed one of the patrols. I think Miller, Monty and Jasper were captured," The tense Beta replied.

Raven silently cursed herself for allowing Jasper accompany his mate on the patrol. But the love stricken Omega could't handle being away from Monty for too long. 

"We're sending back up! I'm coming," Raven announced. 

Anya nodded in approval. "We need to investigate the lands. The one you call Monroe can stay as acting guard."

Harper croaked out, "Please hurry! I-" a harsh cough erupted from her lungs followed by a thudding noise.

____

The Beta guard respected Clarke's urge to be alone with her thoughts. He trailed around her, still keeing her in sight and smelling distance while giving her the privacy she needed.

The sound of a snapping twig caught Clarke's attention. 'That sounded like it was meant to distract me from something,' Clarke observed. She inhaled air into her lungs. The Beta was gaining closer, and a new soft haunted her nose. She felt nauseated at the toxic fumes. 

Clarke walked away quietly in an attempt to distance herself from the noise. She nearly whimpered when she smelled blood and pained fear. She turned her nose towards the scent. 

"Save yourself," the Beta wheezed as blood poured from an empty arm socket, "there are three of them." He fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Clarke reached for the gun attached to her holster and began to run. An arrow pierced the tree besides her, along with two unexpected bullet marks. 

"Come out, Skai prisa," Quint taunted from afar. 

"Shh, we can't let her find our location," hissed a suited body.

Clarke's grip on the gun tightened as she ran further, until a large body knocked her to the ground. two suited bodies arrived from the bushes. Clarke gritted her teeth. Her fear clouded her sense of smell.

Quint pulled a dagger from his belt and aimed the handle at Clarke's head in an attempt to knock her unconscious. "Your clan will make us weak. My people do not understand the importance of Alpha dominance," he growled wildly and shouted, "For my people!"

A dagger pierced through his arm. He screamed in pain and shock. Lexa arrived with Octavia and a Beta surrounding her. 

The Commander growled in agitation and spoke in the words of her people, "Jompiem op en yu jomp ai op."

Octavia kicked the backsides of the Mountain Men, forcing them to kneel before Lexa.

Clarke sighed in relief. Lexa must have sensed her through her Marked collarbone.

"Please, Heda, I was doing what I thought was right," Quint begged.

"You attack my mate, the leader of the Skaikru, and sought help from the Mounaun? You are scum," Lexa growled loudly. Octavia, the new Beta and the two Mountain Men shivered from the intensity of the growl. Clarke brushed the dirt off her pants and stood up to wrap an arm around the Alpha's waist. The Alpha's rage wavered. The tension in the air decreased. Octavia smiled in awe at the interaction. From what Lincoln told her, Heda was normally stoic and fierce. She refused to show any hints of emotion until the 100 landed on the planet. Octavia's smile faded and she pointed a sword to the men.

"Why are you here?" She held a steady tone.

"Don't say a word," the man on the left hissed.

Quint spoke up, fearful of the Commander's wrath. "I wanted to eliminate Clarke's leadership. Omegas should not hold equal power. And the Mounaun need Skaikru for their blida."

"The Mounaun will not have her blood," Lexa growled once again, "they attack and imprison us for generations, and now they dare harm my hodnes?"

"She has made you weak!" Quint shouted angerly. 

Lexa stepped closer and kneeled down to the large man's body. "You have no right to call me weak, Quint. I am stronger. We are stronger. Skaikru gifts us with willing Beta trainees and communication devices, and yet you say we are weak?"

She stood up and turned towards Octavia. "Tie their arms to their backs and remove their weapons. They will be interrogated in TonDC."

"Sha, Heda," Octavia complied and pulled out thick bands of rope from the pack tied around her thigh. She knocked the guns from their reach and tied their arms to their backs after pulling them upwards. She gripped their backs firmly and escorted them to the village.

"Yu gonplei ste odon," Lexa growled gently in an attempt to not scare Clarke. But the Omega adored her mate's protective attitude. 

"Heda, beja!" Quint shouted. 

A loud growl rumbled through the air. Lexa, Quint and the Beta stared at the area ahead in knowing shock.

"What was that?" Clarke asked in a panicked tone. If Lexa was frightened, whoever made that growl would be a powerful threat.

"Pauna," Lexa murmured softly. Another roar rumbled in the air and vibrated into the ground. 

"Run!" Lexa shouted and slashed Quint's leg. The young Alpha ran deeper into the forest and the Omega ran beside her. Clarke attempted to ignore Quint's terrified screams of death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skai prisa- Sky princess  
> Jompien op en yu jomp ai op- Attack me and you attack her. (Otherwise known as the quote from the episode where I began to ship them heavier :') )  
> Mounaun- Mountain Men  
> Blida- Blood  
> Skaikru- Sky people  
> Sha, Heda- Yes, Heda  
> Hodnes- Love
> 
> Too fluffy? Lacking of action? Let me know in the comments!


	13. To Fight, Defend and Protect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa deal with the pauna. They make a discovery that connects the people of the ground to the people from the sky.

After twenty minutes of continuous running, Clarke spotted a circular metal door residing east of her point of vision. 

 

"Through here!" she called to Lexa and the Beta Trikru warrior. She shoved numerous aging vines away and shoved the door to the side. 

 

Various carcasses of elk and deer littered the large enclosed area. Overgrown weeds and grasses covered concrete flooring. 

 

Lexa murmured quietly, "We're in its feeding ground."

 

Clarke's eyes darted around the rural landscape. "It's a zoo. I remember reading about these back on the Ark." Her eyes brightened at the site of a staircase, "People would raise animals here."

 

"In this closed off area?" Lexa questioned. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "That seems cruel. All living things should be free."

 

"Some zoos had breeding programs for endangered animals. But some were mistreated and used for entertainment," the blonde bit her bottom lip in thought.

 

A wild roar disrupted her thoughts. 

 

The Beta guard quickly unsheathed his sword from its scabbard and positioned his legs apart. Clarke sprinted towards the staircase and crawled upwards. Lexa followed suit and pumped out soothing pheromones to calm Clarke's rupturing anxiety. 

 

Clarke pulled her gun out and Lexa unsheathed her sword. The Beta managed to pierce through the beast's neck, but the creature quickly overpowered him with a rough tackle. Clarke gasped out when the sound of snapping bones echoed throughout the large pen. The pauna lifted its head from the decimated corpse and pounded its chest fiercely. 

 

Lexa let out a low growl. The creature's ferocity challenged her Alpha nature. The pauna ran on four large legs towards the staircase and attempted to swipe at Clarke with a swipe of an overly large front paw. Clarke ducked out of the way and pressed the trigger of her gun. One bullet pierced its head. The pauna cried out and fell to the ground.

 

Clarke's watchful eyes scanned Lexa for injuries or signs of distress before looking down towards the concrete flooring. Lexa turned to Clarke. Redness and irritation spread throughout her marked collarbone. 

 

The tall Commander spoke softly in an attempt to not alarm her new mate, "You have such bravery and targeting skills for someone who just fell from the sky."

 

Clarke turned back to meet Lexa's calming green eyes. The mark cooled down significantly.

 

Another angry roar killed the moment. 

 

Clarke's fingers fidgeted. How did this strange creature survive a bullet to the head? Mutation? 

 

She fired another round, but the gun clicked. "I'm out of ammo."

 

Lexa's eyes lowered to a small opening. "I found something! Hang on," she reached for a dagger clipped against her corset belt. "A distraction. It'll buy us a minute of time, at most. Pauna is known for strong resistance," she informed Clarke. "Aim for limbs and make your throw count. While it falls in pain, we make our escape before its strength replenishes."

 

She gave Clarke the dagger. The blonde clipped her gun back in its holster and clasped the new weapon in her left hand. She remembered the way Lexa threw a dagger at Quint and penetrated his arm. She mirrored Lexa's stance and steadied her breathing. She threw the dagger at the mutated gorilla's left arm. The creature cried out in agony.

 

Clarke slipped through the small opening. Lexa watched her mate with pride. Her jaw opened slightly. 

 

The Omega called, "Lexa, come on!" 

 

The Commander regained self awareness and crawled after her mate. With rage, the beast clasped an arm around Lexa's left leg. She flinched and clutched at Clarke's thigh out of instinct. 

 

"Leave me!" She shouted.

 

Clarke hissed a quiet, "Never," and reached for another spare dagger from her Alpha's belt. She jammed the weapon in the creature's arm and shoved it until she heard the impact of bone. The gorilla cried out and pulled away. 

 

Lexa unfurled her grip on the Omega's thigh. Clarke crawled through the remainder of the tunnel with the Alpha falling closely behind. Once again, an angry roar echoed.

 

Lexa gazed down below at a larger tunnel leading near an isolated dark room. "We have to jump down. I'll go first." She sheathed her sword. The angry roar cried out once again. Lexa leaped down and fell on her side. She winced at the sudden feeling of her right shoulder popping out of place. Clarke jumped to the ground on her stomach. A seering icy hot pain traversed through her wrist. "You're in pain," she realized, then saw the Commander gripping her shoulder and the twisted pained expression spreading across her tanned face.

 

The blonde stood up and gripped the Commander's uninjured shoulder. Lexa stood on her legs and leaned into her mate's grip. Clarke led her into the dark isolated room. 

 

"Door's lock's rusted off. I need your sword," the Omega stated and reached for the Alpha's sword. She jammed it inside the broken horizontal bar in an effort to form a makeshift lock.

 

"You keep taking and using my weapons," Lexa observed. 

 

"Sorry for that," Clarke sat on the dusty concrete floor. Lexa sat next to her and hissed in pain.

 

"Let me look at that," Clarke offered. She ripped the fabric between the Commander's shoulder blade and elbow with the last remaining dagger.

 

"Don't be sorry. Providing weapons to one's mate or person of interest is a token of courtship," the Commander added softly.

 

Clarke used the leftover fabric to make a makeshift splint. "I like the idea of you courting me," she purred, "but I think we skipped the courting phase after I took your knot yesterday."

 

"I'd still like to court you," Lexa let out a soft wince when the Omega applied pressure to pop the shoulder back in place.

 

"I'd like that. There's still so much I want to learn about you and your culture." The Omega resumed her position next to her mate.

 

Lexa shyly watched the floor. "The first Commander is from the skies. Beka Pramheda. History says she's the one who first attempted peace among our planet after the Great War. You remind me of the literature of her. You fell from the sky and you seek peace between my people and yours."

 

"Becca? We had a Commander named Becca in space. No one knows anything about her besides the fact that she died sometime during the thirteenth station's collapse," Clarke mused.

 

"Strange. I hold Pramheda's spirit within me. She speaks differently. Almost exactly like," Lexa paused mid sentence and her gaze met Clarke's, "like Skaikru. They say she fell in our capital city of Polis when she rebuilt civilization."

 

"Holy shit," Clarke's voice lowered, "My people say Polaris collapsed. The thirteenth station."

 

Lexa flinched noticeably. "Beka was Skaikru? Yes, that would make sense. We must travel to Polis to speak with my adviser after we deal with the Mountain Men. Titus must hear of this."

 

"And I need to tell my mom and the rest of the Council about Becca. Your connection to her might give them another reason to trust you."

____

"Harper! Harper!" Raven's voice carried itself through the woods.

 

"Be quiet, Skaigirl! We don't want any remaining Maunon to know we're here," Anya hissed quietly. "They can't detect our scents through those restrictive suits they wear. We must keep our voices down."

 

Raven's grip on her walkie-talkie tightened. Anya smelled the Omega's distress. 

 

"Raven, I'm sure we'll find your missing kru soon," the Alpha stated in a rather soft tone of voice.

 

"We shouldn't have placed Monroe in charge," Raven stated as she walked beside the taller woman, "I have no idea if they're mated yet, but they've become really friendly since we landed. I don't think they were like this back on the Ark."

 

"You're worried that Monroe's feelings for Harper may cloud her judgement," Anya observed.

 

"No, Monroe's a great strategist and she's known for taking precautions before she leads patrols or guards the dropship. But she's probably worried as hell right now. She and Harper aren't Marked but you can just tell they're bound to be together by watching them," Raven defended the younger Beta's judgement."

 

Anya pursed her lips. "It is not too common for two Betas to mate. But you missed my point. Feelings can cloud judgement. What if the Maunon attack your camp and Monroe is too busy panicking over Harper to initiate action?"

 

"Feelings can motivate," Raven countered. She stopped walking. Anya turned around to face the Omega. The Trikru general growled lightly out of agitation. 

 

"Feelings are distracting, Skaigirl."

 

Raven pressed closer in Anya's personal space. She growled back and spoke once more.

 

"Feelings make you want to fight, to defend, to protect. Monroe wouldn't be distracted about Harper's disappearance. Monroe will fight anyone who dares enter the dropship camp again, she will defend our people to make sure no one else gets kidnapped, and she will protect anyone from harm."

 

Omega and Alpha slowly leaned their faces closer while they continued their argument. Anya's hardened eyes softened. Raven sensed a calmer, more relaxed demeanor from the General. The Alpha parted her lips and murmured softly.

 

"I want to fight, defend and protect. It's in my nature as Alpha and it's my duty to protect my people from harm."

 

Raven's irritated scowl softened into a shocked and relaxed state, then she rose an eyebrow out of uncertainty. "Your people must be proud to have a General like you."

 

Anya audibly gulped. Raven's eyes followed the soft bob of the taller girl's throat. Anya took a deep breath, then spoke rather quietly and gently, "Feelings cloud my judgement. Would you be proud to have a General like me?"

 

Raven's breath hitched in her throat. "I-"

 

Anya's eyes darted to the left of the location wildly, "The Maunon are here. I sense Betas from your people are with them. This way," she quietly walked towards a clearing surrounded by trees.

 

Raven hissed an irritated, 'dammit!' under her breath and followed the General's lead. She carefully avoided stepping on twigs and crunchy fallen leaves.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave suggestions and criticism. I want to improve and make this story enjoyable for all my readers.


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